^^«%^ 


g  lltRAKIES  -• 


THE 

FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Being  a  Plain  Exposition  and  Vindication  of  the 

Church  Founded  by  Our  Lord 

Jesus  Christ 


BY 

JAMES  CARDINAL  GIBBONS 

Archbishop  of  Baltimore 

Ninety-first    Carefully    Revised    and    Enlarged    Edition 
One  Million  Six  Hundred  Thousand  Copies 


JOHN  MUEPHY  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 
BALTIMORE.  MD.  NEW  YORK 

R.  &  T.  WASHBOURNE,  Ltd. 

10  Paternoster  Row.  London,  and  at  Manchesthr, 

blkminghau  and  glasgow 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Consrreas,  in  the  year  IWt, 

By  JOHN  MURPHY  COMPANY. 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


Entered  according:  to  Act  of  Conerresa,  in  the  year  1904, 

By  JOHN  MURPHY  COMPANY. 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Consrrcss,  at  WashinKtoa. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  srear  1895. 

By  JOHN  MURPHY  &  CO.. 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1879, 

By  JOHN  MURPHY  &  CO.. 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1876. 

By  JOHN  MURPHY  &  CO.. 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


D  b  b 


TBADB  MARK  REOISTEKED  IN  U.  B.  PATENT  OFFICE. 


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AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICA  TED 

TO  THE 

Clexd^  anD  Xaiti? 

OF    THE 

ARCHDIOCESE  AND  PROVINCE  OF  BALTIMORE 


PREFACE  TO  THE  ELEVENTH 
EDITION. 

The  first  edition  of  ''The  Faith  of  Our  Fathers'' 
was  issued  in  December,  1876.  From  that  time  to 
the  present  fifty  thousand  copies  of  the  work  have 
been  disposed  of  in  the  United  States,  Canada, 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  in  the  British 
Colonies  of  Oceanica. 

This  gratifying  result  has  surpassed  the  au- 
thor's most  sanguine  expectations,  and  is  a  con- 
soling evidence  that  the  investigation  of  religious 
truths  is  not  wholly  neglected  even  in  this  iron 
age,  so  engrossed  by  material  considerations. 

Besides  carefully  revising  the  book,  the  author 
has  profited  by  the  kind  suggestion  of  some 
friends,  and  inserted  a  chapter  on  the  prerogatives 
and  sanctity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  which,  it  is 
hoped,  will  be  not  less  acceptable  to  his  readers 
than  the  other  portions  of  the  work. 

He  is  also  happy  to  announce  that  German  edi- 
tions have  been  published  both  in  this  country  and 
in  Germany. 

He  takes  this  occasion  to  return  his  hearty 
thanks  to  the  editors  of  the  Catholic  periodicals,  as 
well  as  of  the  secular  press,  for  their  favorable 
notices,  which  have  no  doubt  contributed  much  to 
the  large  circulation  of  the  book. 

Baltimore, 

Feast  of  8t.  Thomai  Aqmnaa,  187fc 


PREFACE  TO  THE  FORTY-SEVENTH 
EDITION. 

It  is  very  gratifying  to  the  author  to  note  the 
large  increase  in  the  sale  of  "The  Faith  of  Our 
Fathers.'*  Apart  from  personal  considerations, 
it  is  pleasing  to  know  that  the  popular  interest  in 
the  Catholic  Church  and  whatever  pertaias  to  her 
doctrines  and  discipliue,  is  growing  more  wide- 
spread and  earnest. 

Since  1879,  when  the  eleventh  revised  edition 
was  given  to  the  public,  there  have  been  thirty-five 
editions,  and  the  number  of  copies  sold  reaches 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million. 

This  desire  to  understand  the  teachingv,  of  the 
Church  of  our  Fathers  is  not  confined  to  our  own 
country.  It  is  manifest  in  other  lands,  as  shown 
by  the  translations  that  have  been  made  of  this 
exposition  of  Catholic  belief  into  French,  German, 
Spanish,  Italian,  Norwegian  and  Swedish. 

In  the  hope  that  they  will  add  to  the  usefulness 
of  the  book,  several  passages  upon  doctrinal  sub- 
jects have  been  inserted. 

"With  these  few  remarks,  the  forty-seventh  edi- 
tion of  **The  Faith  of  Our  Fathers"  is  presented 
to  the  sincere  and  earnest  seeker  after  religious 
truth  by 

Thb  Ain:HOB, 
Feast  of  St.  Anselm,  1895. 


n 


PREFACE 

The  object  of  this  little  volume  is  to  present  in  a 
plain  and  practical  form  an  exposition  and  vindi- 
cation of  the  principal  tenets  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  It  was  thought  sufficient  to  devote  but  a 
brief  space  to  such  Catholic  doctrines  and  prac- 
tices as  are  happily  admitted  by  Protestants,  while 
those  that  are  controverted  by  them  are  more  elab- 
orately elucidated. 

The  work  was  compiled  by  the  author  during  the 
uncertain  hours  which  he  could  spare  from  the 
more  active  duties  of  the  ministry.  It  substan- 
tially embodies  the  instructions  and  discourses  de- 
livered by  him  before  mixed  congregations  in  Vir- 
ginia and  North  Carolina. 

He  has  often  felt  that  the  salutary  influence  of 
such  instructions,  especially  on  the  occasion  of  a 
mission  in  the  rural  districts,  would  be  much  aug- 
mented if  they  were  supplemented  by  books  or 
tracts  circulated  among  the  people,  and  which 
could  be  read  and  pondered  at  leisure. 

As  his  chief  aim  has  been  to  bring  home  the 
truths  of  the  Catholic  faith  to  our  separated 
brethren,  who  generally  accept  the  Scripture  as 
the  only  source  of  authority  in  religious  matters, 
he  has  endeavored  to  fortify  his  statements  by 
abundant  reference  to  the  sacred  text.  He  has 
thought  proper,  however,  to  add  frequent  quota- 
tions from  the  early  Fathers,  whose  testimony,  at 
?«ast  as  witnesses  of  the  faith  of  their  times,  must 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

be  accepted  even  by  those  who  call  in  question 
their  personal  authority. 

Though  the  writer  has  sought  to  be  exact  in  all 
his  assertions,  an  occasional  inaccuracy  may  have 
inadvertently  crept  in.  Any  emendations  which 
the  venerated  Prelates  or  Clergy  may  deign  to 
propose  will  be  gratefully  attended  to  in  a  subse- 
quent edition. 

Richmond, 

'November  21at,  1876. 


PREFACE  TO  EIGHTY-THIRD  REVISED 
EDITION. 

Tlie  new  edition  of  ''The  Faith  of  Our  Fathers" 
has  been  carefully  revised,  and  enriched  with  sev- 
eral pages  of  important  matter. 

It  is  gratifying  to  note  that  since  the  first  edition 
appeared,  in  1876,  up  to  the  present  time,  fourteen 
hundred  thousand  copies  have  been  published,  and 
the  circulation  of  the  book  is  constantly  increasing. 

The  work  has  also  been  translated  into  near?y 
all  the  languages  of  Europe. 


^'    /l*^  ^^^^u-^-f*^*^ 


Baltimore, 

May  1st,  1917. 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction, 

Chapter  I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 


XIII. 
XIV. 


XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 


XX. 

XXI. 

XXII, 

XXIII, 
XXIV. 


The  Blessed   Trinity,    the   Incarnation,   etc., 
Unity  of  the  Church,  .... 
Holiness  of  the  Church,     , 

Catholicity, 

Apostolicity, 

Perpetuity  of  the  Church,  . 
Infallible  Authority  of  the  Church, 
The  Church  and  the  Bible, 
The  Primacy  of  Peter, 
The  Supremacy  of  the  Popes, 
Infallibility  of  the  Popes, 
Temporal  Power  of  the  Popes— How  they 
acquired  Temporal  Power — Validity  and 
Justice  of  their  Title— What  the  Popes 

have  done  for  Rome, 

Invocation    of    Saints, 

Is  it  Lawful  to  Honor  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary  as  a  Saint  to  Invoke  her  as  an 
Intercessor,    and    to    Imitate    her    as    a 

Model'i 

Sacred  Images, 

Purgatory,  and  P  .layers  for  the  Dead, 
Civil  and  Religious  Liberty,  . 
Charges  of  Religious  Persecution,  . 
Grace  —  The  Sacraments  —  Original  Sin — 
Baptism— Its  Necessity  —  Its  Effects- 
Manner  of  Baptizing, 

The  Sacra'^ent  of  Confirmation,     . 

The  Holy  Eucharist, 

Communion  under  One  Kind,  .       .       .       . 

The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,       .       .       .       . 

The  Use  of  Religious  Ceremonies  Dictated 

by  Right  Reason — Approved  by  Almighty 

God  in   the    Old    Law — Sanctioned  by 

Jesus  Christ  in  the  New,    .       .       .       . 


PAOB 
Xl 
1 


16 
29 
38 
50 
65 
77 
95 
108 
121 


136 
152 


163 
196 
210 
226 
248 


265 
280 
287 
300 
307 


320 


CONTENTS 


PAsn 
XXV.    Ceremonies  of  the  Mass — The  Missal — Lanu 
Language — Lights — Flowers  —  Incense — 

Vestments, 327 

XXVI.    The  Sacrament  of  Penance 330 

XXVII.    Indulgences,          375 

XXVIII.    Extreme  Unction, 384 

XXIX.    The  Priesthood .       .  387 

XXX.    Celibacy  of  the  Clergy, 399 

XXXI.    Matrimony, ,       .  40» 


INTRODUCTION. 

My  Dear  Reader  : — Perhaps  this  is  the  first  time 
in  your  life  that  you  have  handled  a  book  in  which 
the  doctrines  of  the  Catholic  Church  are  ex- 
pounded by  one  of  her  own  sons.  You  have,  nq 
doubt,  heard  and  read  many  thuigs  regarding  oui 
Church;  but  has  not  your  information  come  from 
teachers  justly  liable  to  suspicion?  You  asked  for 
bread,  and  they  gave  you  a  stone.  You  asked  for 
fish,  and  they  reached  you  a  serpent.  Instead  of  the 
bread  of  truth,  they  extended  to  you  the  serpent  of 
falsehood.  Hence,  without  intending  to  be  un- 
just, is  not  your  mind  biased  against  us  because 
you  listened  to  false  witnesses?  This,  at  least,  is 
the  case  with  thousands  of  my  countrymen  whom 
I  have  met  in  the  brief  course  of  my  missionary 
career.  The  Catholic  Church  is  persistently  mis- 
represented by  the  most  powerful  vehicles  of  in- 
formation. 

She  is  assailed  in  romances  of  the  stamp  of  Maria 
Monk,  and  in  pictorial  papers.  It  is  true  that  the 
falsehood  of  those  illustrated  periodicals  has  been 
fully  exposed.  But  the  antidote  often  comes  too 
late  to  counteract  the  poison.  I  have  seen  a  picture 
representing  Columbus  trying  to  demonstrate  the 
practicability  of  his  design  to  discover  a  new  Con- 
tinent before  certain  monks  who  are  shaking  theix' 
fists  and  gnashing  their  teeth  at  him.  It  matters 
not  to  the  artist  that  Columbus  could  probably 
never  have  undertaken  his  voyage  and  discovery, 
as  the  explorer  himself  avows,  were  it  not  for  the 
benevolent  zeal  of  the  monks,  Antonio  de  Mar- 
chena  and  Juan  Perez,  and  other  ecclesiastics,  as 
well  as  for  the  munificence  of  Queen  Isabella  and 
the  Spanish  Court. 

zi 


xii  in^troductio:n" 

The  Churcli  is  misrepresented  in  so-called  His- 
tories like  Foxe's  Book  of  Martyrs.  It  is  true  that 
he  has  been  succesfully  refuted  by  Lingard  and 
Gairdner.  But,  how  many  have  read  the  fictitious 
narratives  of  Foxe,  who  have  never  perused  a  page 
of  Lingard  or  Gairdner?  In  a  large  portion  of 
the  press,  and  in  pamphlets,  and  especially  in  the 
pulpit,  which  should  be  consecrated  to  truth  and 
charity,  she  is  the  victim  of  the  foulest  slanders. 
Upon  her  fair  and  heavenly  brow  her  enemies  put 
a  hideous  mask,  and  in  that  guise  they  exhibit  her 
to  the  insults  and  mockery  of  the  public;  just  as 
Jesus,  her  Spouse,  was  treated  when,  clothed  with 
a  scarlet  cloak  and  crowned  with  thorns,  He  was 
mocked  by  a  thoughtless  rabble. 

They  are  afraid  to  tell  the  truth  of  her,  for 

"Truth  has  such  a  face  and  such  a  mien, 
As  to  be  loved  needs  only  to  be  seen."  * 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  a  dialogue  like  the  fol- 
lowing to  take  place  between  a  Protestant  Minister 
and  a  convert  to  the  Catholic  Church : 

Minister. — You  cannot  deny  that  the  Eoman 
Catholic  Church  teaches  gross  errors — the  wor- 
ship of  images,  for  instance. 

CoNVEET. — I  admit  no  such  charge,  for  I  have 
been  taught  no  such  doctrines. 

Minister. — But  the  Priest  who  instructed  you 
did  not  teach  you  all.  He  held  back  some  points 
which  he  knew  would  be  objectionable  to  you. 

Convert. — He  withheld  nothing;  for  I  am  in 
possession  of  books  treating  fully  of  all  Catholic 
doctrines. 

Minister. — Deluded  soul !  Don't  you  know  that 
in  Europe  they  are  taught  differently? 

Convert. — That  cannot  ba,  for,  the  Church 
teaches  the  same  creed  all  OT/er  the  world,  a»d 

-Dryden,  Hind  and  Panther. 


INTEODUCTION  xiii 

most  of  tlie  doctrinal  books  which  I  read,  were 
originally  published  in  Europe. 

Yet  ministers  who  make  these  slanderous  state- 
ments are  surprised  if  we  feel  indignant,  and  ac- 
cuse us  of  being  too  sensitive.  We  have  been  vil- 
lified  so  long,  that  they  think  we  have  no  right  to 
complain. 

We  cannot  exaggerate  the  offense  of  those  who 
thus  wilfully  malign  the  Church.  There  is  a  com- 
mandment which  says:  ''Thou  shalt  not  bear 
false  witness  against  thy  neighbor." 

If  it  is  a  sin  to  bear  false  testimony  against  one 
individual,  how  can  we  characterize  the  crime  of 
those  who  calumniate  three  hundred  millions  of 
human  beings,  by  attributing  to  them  doctrines 
and  practices  which  they  repudiate  and  abhor.  -  I 
do  not  wonder  that  the  Church  is  hated  by  those 
who  learn  what  she  is  from  her  enemies.  It  is 
natural  for  an  honest  man  to  loathe  an  institution 
whose  history  he  believes  to  be  marked  by  blood- 
shed, crime  and  fraud. 

Had  I  been  educated  as  they  were,  and  sur- 
rounded by  an  atmosphere  hostile  to  the  Church, 
perhaps  I  should  be  unfortunate  enough  to  be 
breathing  vengeance  against  her  today,  instead  of 
consecrating  my  life  to  her  defence. 

It  is  not  of  their  hostility  that  I  complain,  but 
because  the  judgment  they  have  formed  of  her  is 
based  upon  the  reckless  assertions  of  her  enemies, 
and  not  upon  those  of  impartial  witnesses. 

Suppose  that  I  wanted  to  obtain  a  correct  esti- 
mate of  the  Southern  people,  would  it  be  fair  in  me 
to  select,  as  my  only  sources  of  information,  cer- 
tain Northern  and  Eastern  periodicals  which, 
during  our  Civil  War,  were  bitterly  opposed  to 
the  race  and  institutions  of  the  South?  Those 
papers  have  represented  you  as  men  who  always 


dv  INTEODUCTION- 

appeal  to  the  sword  and  pistol,  instead  of  tlie  law, 
to  vindicate  your  private  grievances.  They  heaped 
accusations  against  you  which  I  will  not  here  re- 
peat. Instead  of  taking  these  publications  as  the 
basis  of  my  information,  it  was  my  duty  to  come 
among  you;  to  live  with  you;  to  read  your  life  by 
studying  your  public  and  private  character.  This 
I  have  done,  and  I  here  cheerfully  bear  witness  to 
your  many  excellent  traits  of  mind  and  heart. 

Now  I  ask  you  to  give  to  the  Catholic  Church 
the  same  measure  of  fairness  which  you  reason- 
ably demand  of  me  when  judging  of  Southern 
character.  Ask  not  her  enemies  what  she  is,  for 
they  are  blinded  by  passion;  ask  not  her  ungrate- 
ful, renegade  children,  for  you  never  heard  a  son 
speaking  well  of  the  mother  whom  he  had  aban- 
doned and  despised. 

Study  her  history  in  the  pages  of  truth.  Ex- 
amine her  creed.  Read  her  authorized  catechisms 
and  doctrinal  books.  You  will  find  them  every- 
where on  the  shelves  of  booksellers,  in  the  libraries 
of  her  clergy,  on  the  tables  of  Catholic  families. 

There  is  no  Freemasonry  in  the  Catholic 
Church ;  she  has  no  secrets  to  keep  back.  She  has 
not  one  set  of  doctrines  for  Bishops  and  Priests, 
and  another  for  the  laity.  She  has  not  one  creed 
for  the  initiated  and  another  for  outsiders.  Every- 
thing in  the  Catholic  Church  is  open  and  above 
board.  She  has  the  same  doctrines  for  all — for 
the  Pope  and  the  peasant. 

Should  not  I  be  better  qualified  to  present  to  you 
the  Church's  creed  than  the  unfriendly  witnesses 
whom  I  have  mentioned  ? 

I  have  imbibed  her  doctrine  with  my  mother's 
milk.  I  have  made  her  history  and  theology  the 
study  of  my  life.  What  motive  can  I  have  in  mis- 
leading you?    Not  temporal  reward,  eincs  I  ge«k 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

not  your  money,  but  your  soul,  for  which  Jesus 
Christ  died.  I  could  not  hope  for  an  eternal  re- 
ward by  deceiving  you,  for  I  would  thereby  pur- 
chase  for  myself  eternal  condemnation  by  gaining 
proselytes  at  the  expense  of  truth. 

This,  friendly  reader,  is  my  only  motive.  I  feel 
in  the  depth  of  my  heart  that,  in  possessing  Catho- 
lic faith,  I  hold  a  treasure  compared  with  which  all 
things  earthly  are  but  dross.  Instead  of  wishing 
to  bury  this  treasure  in  my  breast,  I  long  tc  v^hare 
it  with  you,  especially  as  I  lose  no  part  of  my 
spiritual  riches  by  comunicating  them  to  others. 

It  is  to  me  a  duty  and  a  labor  of  love  to  speak 
the  truth  concerning  my  venerable  Mother,  so 
much  maligned  in  our  days.  Were  a  tithe  of  the 
accusations  which  are  brought  against  her  true,  I 
would  not  be  attached  to  her  ministry,  nor  even  to 
her  communion,  for  a  single  day,  I  know  these 
charges  to  be  false.  The  longer  1  know  her,  the 
more  I  admire  and  venerate  her.  Every  day  she 
develops  before  me  new  spiritual  charms. 

Ah !  my  dear  friend,  if  you  saw  her  as  her  chil- 
dren see  her,  she  would  no  longer  appear  to  you  as 
typified  by  the  woman  of  Babylon.  She  would  be 
revealed  to  you,  ''Bright  as  the  sun,  fair  as  the 
moon ; ' '  with  the  beauty  of  Heaven  stamped  upon 
her  brow,  glorious  "as  an  army  in  battle  array.'" 
You  would  love  her,  you  would  cling  to  her  and 
embrace  her.  With  her  children,  you  would  rise 
up  in  reverence  "and  call  her  blessed." 

Consider  what  you  lose  and  what  you  gain  in 
embracing  the  Catholic  religion. 

Your  loss  is  nothing  in  comparison  with  your 
gain.  You  do  not  surrender  your  manhood  or 
your  dignity  or  independence  or  reasoning  powers. 
You  give  up  none  of  those  revealed  truths  which 
you  may  possess  already.    The  c:ily  restraint  ini' 


xvi  INTRODUCTION" 

posed  upon  you  is  tlie  restraint  of  tlie  Gospel,  and 
to  this  you  will  not  reasonably  object. 

You  gain  eveiything  that  is  worth  having.  You 
acquire  a  full  and  connected  knowledge  of  God's 
revelation.  You  get  possession  of  the  whole  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus.  You  no  longer  see  it  in  frag- 
ments, but  reflected  before  you  in  all  its  beauty,  as 
in  a  polished  mirror.  While  others  are  outside 
criticising  the  architecture  of  the  temple,  you  are 
inside  worshiping  the  divine  Architect  and  saying 
devoutly  with  the  Psalmist :  * '  I  have  loved  0  Lord, 
the  beauty  of  Thy  house  and  the  place  where  Thy 
glory  dwelleth.'*  While  others  from  without  find 
in  the  stained-glass  windows  only  blurred  and  con- 
fused figures  without  symmetry  or  attraction  or 
meaning,  you  from  within,  are  gazing  with  silent 
rapture  on  God's  glorified  saints,  with  their  out- 
lines clearly  defined  on  the  windows,  and  all  illumi- 
nated with  the  sunlight  of  heaven.  Your  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  is  not  only  complete  and  har- 
monious, but  it  becomes  fixed  and  steady.  You 
exchange  opinion  for  certainty.  You  are  no  longer 
^ '  tossed  about  by  every  wind  of  doctrine, ' '  but  you 
are  firmly  grounded  on  the  rock  of  truth.  Then 
you  enjoy  that  profound  peace  which  springs  from 
the  conscious  possession  of  the  truth. 

In  coming  to  the  Church,  you  are  not  entering  a 
strange  place,  but  you  are  returning  to  your 
Father's  home.  The  house  and  furniture  may 
look  odd  to  you,  but  it  is  just  the  same  as  your 
forefather's  left  it  three  hundred  years  ago.  In 
coming  back  to  the  Church,  you  li'ou'ship  where 
your  fathers  worshiped  before  you,  you  kneel  be- 
fore the  altar  at  which  they  knelt,  you  receive  the 
Sacraments  which  they  received,  and  respect  the 
authority  of  the  clergy  whom  they  venerated.  You 
'jome  back  like  the  Prodigal  Son  to  the  home  of 


INTRODUCTION"  xvii 

your  father  and  mother.  The  garxnent  of  joy  is 
placed  upon  you,  the  banquet  of  love  is  set  before 
you,  and  you  receive  the  kiss  of  peace  as  a  pledge 
of  your  filiation  and  adoption.  One  hearty  em- 
brace of  your  tender  Mother  will  compensate  you 
for  all  the  sacrifices  you  may  have  made,  and  you 
will  exclaim  with  the  penitent  Augustine:  "Too 
late  have  I  known  thee,  O  Beauty,  ever  ancient  and 
ever  new,  too  late  have  I  loved  thee. ' '  Should  the 
perusal  of  this  bookbring  one  soul  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  Church,  my  labor  will  be  amply  rewarded. 

Eemember  that  nothing  is  so  essential  as  the  sal- 
vation of  your  immortal  soul,  "for  what  doth  it 
profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose 
his  own  soul?  Or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  ex- 
change for  his  soul  ? "  ^  Let  not,  therefore,  the 
fear  of  offending  friends  and  relatives,  the  perse- 
cution of  men,  the  loss  of  earthly  possessions,  nor 
any  other  temporal  calamity,  deter  you  from  in- 
vestigating and  embracing  the  true  religion.  ' '  For 
our  present  tribulation,  which  is  momentary  and 
light,  worketh  for  us  above  measure  exceedingly 
an  eternal  weight  of  glory. ' '  ^ 

May  God  give  you  light  to  see  the  truth,  and, 
having  seen  it,  may  He  give  you  courage  and 
strength  to  follow  it  I 

*Matt.  xvi.  26. 
*II.  Cor.  iv.  17. 


THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS. 
CHAPTER  I. 

THE  BLESSEX)  TRINITY,  THE  INCARNATION.  ETC. 

THE  Catholic  Churcli  teaches  that  there  is  but 
one  God,  who  is  infinite  in  knowledge,  in 
power,  in  goodness,  and  in  every  other  per- 
fection; who  created  all  things  by  His  omni- 
potence, and  governs  them  by  His  Providence. 

In  this  one  God  there  are  three  distinct  Persons, 
—the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  who 
are  perfectly  equal  to  each  other. 

We  believe  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Second  Per- 
son of  the  Blessed  Trinity,  is  perfect  God  and  per- 
fect Man.  He  is  God,  for  He  *'is  over  all  things, 
God  blessed  forever."  ^  "He  is  God  of  the  sub- 
stance of  the  Father,  begotten  before  time;  and 
He  is  Man  of  the  substance  of  His  Mother,  born  in 
time."  -  Out  of  love  for  us,  and  in  order  to  rescue 
us  from  the  miseries  entailed  upon  us  by  the  dis- 
obedience of  our  first  parents,  the  Divine  Word 
descended  from  heaven,  and  became  Man  in  the 
womb  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  by  the  operation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  He  was  born  on  Christmas  day,  in 
a  stable  at  Bethlehem. 

After  having  led  a  life  of  obscurity  for  about 
thirty  years,  chiefly  at  Nazareth,  He  commenced 

*Rom.  ix.  S.  'Athanasian  Creed. 


9  THE  FAITH  OF  OUP.  FATHERS 

His  public  career.  He  associated  with  Him  a 
number  of  men  who  are  named  Apostles,  whom 
He  instructed  in  the  doctrines  of  the  religion  which 
He  established. 

For  three  years  He  went  about  doing  good, 
giving  sight  to  the  blind,  hearing  to  the  deaf,  heal- 
ing all  kinds  of  diseases,  raising  the  dead  to  life, 
and  preaching  throughout  Judea  the  new  Gospel 
of  peace.^ 

On  Good  Friday  He  was  crucified  on  Mount  Cal- 
vary, and  thus  purchased  for  us  redemption  by 
His  death.  Hence  Jesus  exclusively  bears  the 
titles  of  Savior  and  Redeemer,  because  **  there  is 
no  other  name  under  heaven  given  to  men  whereby 
we  must  be  saved."  ^  <'He  was  wounded  for  our 
iniquities;  He  was  bruised  for  our  sins,  .  ,  .  and 
by  His  bruises  we  are  healed."  ^ 

We  are  commanded  by  Jesus,  suffering  and  dying 
for  us,  to  imitate  Him  by  the  crucifixion  of  our 
flesh,  and  by  acts  of  daily  mortification.  "If  any- 
one," He  says,  ''will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny 
himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  daily  and  follow 
Me."  4 

Hence  we  abstain  from  the  use  of  flesh  meat  on 
Friday — the  day  consecrated  to  our  Savior's  suf- 
ferings— not  because  the  eating  of  flesh  meat  is 
sinful  in  itself,  but  as  an  act  of  salutary  mortifica- 
tion. Loving  children  would  be  prompted  by  filial 
tenderness  to  commemorate  the  anniversary  of 
their  father's  death  rather  by  prayer  and  fasting 
than  by  feasting.  Even  so  we  abstain  on  Fridays 
from  flesh  meat  that  we  may  in  a  small  measure 
testify  our  practical  sympathy  for  our  dear  Lord 
by  the  mortification  of  our  body,  endeavoring,  like 
St.  Paul, ' '  to  bear  about  in  our  body  the  mortifica- 

*  Matt.  xi.  =>  Acts  iv.  12. 

8  Isaiah  Ilii.  5,  •  Luke  ix.  28. 


THE  TRIXITY  3 

ticn  of  Jesus,  that  the  life  also  of  Jesus  may  bo 
made  manifest  in  our  bodies."  ^ 

The  Ci'oss  is  held  in  the  highest  reverence  by 
Catholics,  because  it  was  the  instrument  of  our 
Savior's  crucifixion.  It  surmounts  our  churches 
and  adorns  our  sanctuaries.  We  venerate  it  as 
the  emblem  of  our  salvation.  "Far  be  it  from 
me,"  says  the  Apostle,  "to  glory  save  in  the  cross 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. ' '  ^  We  do  not,  of 
course,  attach  any  intrinsic  virtue  to  the  Cross; 
this  would  be  sinful  and  idolatrous.  Our  venera- 
tion is  referred  to  Him  who  died  upon  it. 

It  is  also  a  very  ancient  and  pious  practice  for 
the  faithful  to  make  on  their  person  the  sign  of  the 
Cross,  saying  at  the  same  time :  "In  the  name  of 
the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  Tertullian,  who  lived  in  the  second  cen- 
tury of  the  Christian  era,  says:  "In  all  our  ac- 
tions, when  we  come  in  or  gc  out,  when  we  dress, 
when  we  wash,  at  our  meals,  before  retiring  to 
sleep,  ...  we  form  on  our  foreheads  the  sign  of 
the  cross.  These  practices  are  not  commanded  by 
a  formal  law  of  Scripture;  but  tradition  teaches 
them,  custom  confirms  them,  faith  observes 
them."  ^  By  the  sign  of  the  cross  we  make  a  pro- 
fession of  our  faith  in  the  Trinity  and  the  Incarna- 
tion, and  perform  a  most  salutary  act  of  religion. 

We  believe  that  on  Easter  Sunday  Jesus  Christ 
manifested  His  divine  power  by  raising  Himself  to 
life,  and  that  having  spent  forty  days  on  earth, 
after  His  resurrection,  instructing  His  disciples. 
He  ascended  to  heaven  from  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

On  the  Feast  of  Pentecost,  or  Whitsunday,  ten 
days  after  His  Ascension,  our  Savior  sent,  as  Ha 
had  promised.  His  Holy  Spirit  to  His  disciples, 
while  they  were  assembled  together  in  prayer. 

Hh  Cor.  iv.  10,  *Gal  vl.  14.  «De  Corena,  C,  lU. 


4  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

The  Holy  Ghost  purified  their  hearts  from  sin,  and 
imparted  to  them  a  full  knowledge  of  those  doc- 
trines of  salvation  which  they  were  instructed  to 
preach.  On  the  same  Feast  of  Pentecost  the 
Apostles  commenced  their  sublime  mission,  from 
which  day,  accordingly,  we  date  the  active  life  of 
the  Catholic  Chui  ch. 

Our  Eedeemer  gave  the  most  ample  authority 
to  the  Apostles  to  teach  in  His  name ;  commanding 
them  to  "preach  ^.he  Gospel  to  every  creature."* 
and  directing  all,  *^mder  the  most  severe  penalties, 
to  hear  and  obey  them:  "He  that  heareth  you, 
heareth  Me;  and  he  that  dispiseth  you,  despiseth 
Me.  And  He  that  despiseth  Me,  despiseth  Him 
that  sent  Me."  2 

And  lest  we  she  aid  be  mistaken  in  distinguish- 
ing between  the  trne  Church  and  false  sects,  which 
our  Lord  predicted  would  arise,  He  was  pleased 
to  stamp  upon  Hi^  Church  certain  shining  marks, 
by  which  every  sincere  inquirer  could  easily 
recognize  her  as  His  only  Spouse.  The  principal 
marks  or  chara'c*teristics  of  the  true  Church  are, 
her  Unity,  Sanctity,  Catholicity,  and  Apostolicity,^ 
to  which  may  be  added  the  Infallibility  of  her 
teaching  and  the  Perpetuity  of  her  existence. 

I  shall  treat  successively  of  these  marks. 


1  Mark  xvl.  15.  2  Luke  x.  16.  3  gymb.  Constantinop. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  UNITY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

I Y  unity  is  meant  that  the  members  of  th«  true 
Church  must  be  united  in  the  belief  of  the 
same  doctrines  of  revelation,  and  in  the  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  authority  of  the  same  pas- 
tors. Heresy  and  schism  are  opposed  to  Christian 
unity.  By  heresy,  a  man  rejects  one  or  more  arti- 
cles of  the  Christian  faith.  By  schism,  he  spurns 
the  authority  of  his  spiritual  superiors.  That  our 
Savior  requires  this  unity  of  faith  and  govern- 
ment in  His  members  is  evident  from  various 
passages  of  Holy  Writ.  In  His  admirable  prayer 
immediatsly  before  His  passion  He  says:  "I  pray 
for  them  also  who  through  their  word  shall  be- 
lieve in  Me;  that  they  all  may  be  one,  as  Thou, 
Father,  in  Me  and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be 
one  in  Us ;  that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou 
hast  sent  Me,"  ^  because  the  unity  of  the  Church 
is  the  most  luminous  evidence  of  the  Divine  mis- 
sion of  Christ.  Jesus  prayed  that  His  followers 
may  be  united  in  the  bond  of  a  common  faith,  as 
He* and  His  Father  are  united  in  essence,  and  cer- 
tainly the  prayer  of  Jesus  is  always  heard.  ^ 

St.   Paul   ranks    schism   and  heresy   with  the 
crimes  of  murder  and  idolatry,  and  he  declares 
that  the  authors  of  sects  shall  not  possess  theKing- 
»John  xvii.  20,  21. 


C  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

dom  of  God.^  He  also  addresses  a  letter  to  the 
Ephesians  from  his  prison  in  Eome,  and  if  the 
words  of  the  Apostle  should  always  command  onr 
homage,  with  how  much  reverence  are  they  to  be 
received  when  he  writes  in  chains  from  the  Impe- 
rial City!  In  this  Epistle  he  insists  upon  unity  of 
faith  in  the  following  emphatic  language:  "Be 
careful  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace;  one  body  and  one  Spirit,  as  you 
are  called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling;  one  Lord, 
one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father 
of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through  all,  and 
in  us  all.'"  As  you  all,  he  says,  worship  one 
God,  and  not  many  gods ;  as  you  acknowledge  the 
same  Divine  Mediator  of  redemption,  and  not 
many  mediators ;  as  you  are  sanctified  by  the  same 
Divine  Spirit,  and  not  by  many  spirits ;  as  you  all 
hope  for  the  same  heaven,  and  not  different 
heavens,  so  must  you  all  profess  the  same  faith. 

Unity  of  government  is  not  less  essential  to  the 
Church  of  Christ  than  unity  of  doctrine.  Our 
Divine  Saviour  never  speaks  of  His  Churches,  but 
of  His  Church.  He  does  not  say :  * '  Upon  this  rock 
I  will  build  my  Churches,"  but  "upon  this  rock  I 
will  build  My  Church,"^  from  which  words  we 
must  conclude  that  it  never  was  His  intention  to 
establish  or  to  sanction  various  conflicting  denomi- 
nations, but  one  corporate  body,  with  all  the  mem- 
bers united  under  one  visible  Head;  for  as  the 
Church  is  a  visible  body,  it  must  have  a  visible 
head. 

The  Church  is  called  a  kingdom:  "He  shall 
reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever,  and  of  His 
kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end. ' '  *  Now  in  every 
well-regulated  kingdom  there  is  but  one  king,  one 
form  of  government,  one  uniform  body  of  laws, 

I  Gal.  V.  20,  21.  2  Ephes.  iv  3-6. 

3  Matt.  xvi.  18,  4  Luke  i.  32,  33. 


UNITY  OF  THE  CHURCH  t 

wliich  all  are  obliged  to  observe.  In  like  manner, 
in  Christ's  spiritual  kingdom,  there  must  be  one 
Chief  to  whom  all  owe  spiritual  allegiance;  one 
form  of  ecclesiastical  government ;  one  uniform 
body  of  laws  which  all  Christians  are  bound  to  ob- 
serve; for,  ''every  kingdom  divided  against  itself 
shall  be  made  desolate."  ^ 

Our  Savior  calls  His  Church  a  sheepfold.  "And 
there  shall  be  made  one  fold  and  one  shep- 
herd." 2  What  more  beautiful  or  fitting  illustra- 
tion of  unity  can  we  have  than  that  which  is  sug- 
gested by  a  sheepfold?  All  the  sheep  of  a  flock 
cling  together.  If  they  are  momentarily  separated, 
they  are  impatient  till  reunited.  They  follow  in 
the  same  path.  They  feed  on  the  same  pastures. 
They  obey  the  same  shepherd,  and  fly  from  the 
voice  of  strangers.  So  did  our  Lord  intend  that 
all  the  sheep  of  His  fold  should  be  nourished  by 
the  same  sacraments  and  the  same  bread  of  life; 
that  they  should  follow  the  same  rule  of  faith  as 
their  guide  to  heaven;  that  they  should  listen  to 
the  voice  of  one  Chief  Pastor,  and  that  they  should 
carefully  shun  false  teachers. 

His  Church  is  compared  to  a  human  body.  *' As 
in  one  body  we  have  many  members,  but  all  the 
members  have  not  the  same  office;  so  we,  being 
many,  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  every  one  mem- 
bers one  of  the  other. "  ^  In  one  body  there  are 
many  members,  all  inseparably  connected  with  the 
head.  The  head  commands  and  the  foot  instantly 
moves,  the  hand  is  raised  and  the  lips  open.  Even 
so  our  Lord  ordained  that  His  Church,  composed 
of  many  members,  should  be  all  united  to  one 
supreme  visible  Head,  whom  they  are  bound  to 
obey. 

iMatt.  xii.  25.  3  John  x  16.  3  Rom.  xii.  4,  5- 


8  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

The  Church  is  compared  to  a  vine.  ''I  am  the 
Vine,  ye  the  branches;  he  that  abideth  in  Me  and  1 
in  him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit,  for  without 
Me  ye  can  do  nothing. ' '  ^  All  the  branches  of  a 
vine,  though  spreading  far  and  wide,  are  neces- 
sarily connected  with  the  main  stem,  and  from  its 
sap  they  are  nourished.  In  like  manner,  our 
Saviour  will  have  all  the  saplings  of  His  Vineyard 
connected  with  the  main  stem,  and  all  draw  their 
nourishment  from  the  parent  stock. 

The  Church,  in  fine,  is  called  in  Scripture  by  the 
beautiful  title  of  bride  or  spouse  of  Christ,^  and 
the  Christian  law  admits  only  of  one  wife. 

In  fact,  our  common  sense  alone,  apart  from 
revelation,  is  sufficient  to  convince  us  that  God 
could  not  be  the  author  of  various  opposing  sys- 
tems of  religion.  God  is  essentially  one.  He  is 
Truth  itself.  How  could  the  God  of  truth  affinn, 
for  instance,  to  one  body  of  Christians  that  there 
are  three  persons  in  God,  and  to  another  there  is 
only  one  person  in  God?  How  could  He  say  to 
one  individual  that  Jesus  Christ  is  God,  and  to 
another  that  He  is  only  man.  How  can  He  tell  me 
that  the  punishments  of  the  wicked  are  eternal, 
and  tell  another  that  they  are  not  eternal  ?  One  of 
these  contradictory  statements  must  be  false. 
*'God  is  not  the  God  of  dissension,  but  of  peace."  ^ 

I  see  perfect  harmony  in  the  laws  which  govern 
the  physical  world  that  we  inhabit.  I  see  a  mar- 
velous unity  in  our  planetary  system.  Each 
planet  moves  in  its  own  sphere,  and  all  are  con- 
trolled by  the  central  Sun. 

Why  should  there  not  be  also  harmony  and  con- 
cord in  that  spiritual  world,  the  Church  of  God, 
the  grandest  conception  of  His  omnipotence,  and 
the  most  bounteous  manifestation  of  His  goodness 
and  love  for  mankind! 

s  John  XV.  5.  2  Apoc.  xxi.  9.  3  i.  Cor.  xiv.  33. 


XJNITY  OF  THE  CHURCH  9 

Hence,  it  is  clear  that  Jesus  Christ  intended  that 
His  Church  should  have  one  common  doctrine 
which  all  Christians  are  bound  to  believe,  and  one 
uniform  government  to  which  all  should  be  loyally 
attached. 

With  all  due  respect  for  my  dissenting  brethren, 
truth  compels  me  to  say  that  this  unity  of  doctrine 
and  government  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  Prot- 
estant sects,  taken  collectively  or  separately.  That 
the  various  Protestant  denominations  differ  from 
one  another  not  only  in  minor  details,  but  in  most 
essential  principles  of  faith,  is  evident  to  every  one 
conversant  with  the  doctrines  of  the  different 
Creeds.  The  multiplicity  of  sects  in  this  country, 
with  their  mutual  recriminations,  is  the  scandal  of 
Christianity,  and  the  greatest  obstacle  to  the  con- 
version of  the  heathen.  Not  only  does  sect  differ 
from  sect,  but  each  particular  denomination  is 
divided  into  two  or  more  independent  or  conflict- 
ing branches. 

In  the  State  of  North  Carolina  we  have  several 
Baptist  denominations,  each  having  its  own  dis- 
tinctive appellation.  There  is  also  the  Methodist 
Church  North  and  the  Methodist  Church  South. 
There  was  the  Old  and  the  New  School  Presby- 
terian Church.  And  even  in  the  Episcopal  Com- 
mimion,  which  is  the  most  conservative  body  out- 
side the  Catholic  Church,  there  is  the  ritualistic, 
or  high  church,  and  the  low  church.  Nay,  if  you 
question  closely  the  individual  members  compos- 
ing any  one  fraction  of  these  denominations,  you 
will  not  rarely  find  them  giving  a  contradictory 
view  of  their  tenets  of  religion. 

Protestants  differ  from  one  another  not  only  in 
doctrine,  but  in  the  form  of  ecclesiastical  govern- 
ment and  discipline.  The  church  of  England  ac- 
knowledges the  reigning  Sovereign  as  its  Spiritual 


10  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Head.  Some  denominations  recognize  Deacons, 
Priests,  and  Bishops  as  an  essential  part  of  their 
hierarchy;  while  the  great  majority  of  Protestants 
reject  such  titles  altogether. 

Where,  then,  shall  we  find  this  essential  unity  of 
faith  and  government  ?  I  answer,  confidently,  no- 
where save  in  the  Catholic  Church. 

The  number  of  Catholics  in  the  world  is  com- 
puted at  three  hundred  millions.  They  have 
al]  ''one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,"  one 
creed.  They  receive  the  same  sacraments,  they 
worship  at  the  same  altar,  and  pay  spiritual  alle- 
giance to  one  common  Head.  Should  a  Catho- 
lic be  so  unfortt/v*ate  as  contumaciously  to  deny  a 
single  article  of  faith,  or  withdraw  from  the  com- 
munion of  his  le/jitimate  pastors,  he  ceases  to  be  a 
member  of  th':^.  Church,  and  is  cut  off  like  a 
withered  bra»i^h.  The  Church  had  rather  sever 
her  right  har>^i  than  allow  any  member  to  corrode 
her  vitals.  I^.  was  thus  she  excommunicated  Henry 
VIII.  beca-J7.fle  he  persisted  in  violating  the  sacred 
law  of  mr^rriage,  although  she  foresaw  that  the 
lustful  /iionarch  would  involve  a  nation  in  his 
spiritual  ruin.  She  anathematized,  more  recently, 
Dr.  Dollinger,  though  the  prestige  of  his  name 
threatened  to  engender  a  schism  in  Germany.  She 
says  to  her  children:  ''You  may  espouse  any 
political  party  you  choose ;  with  this  I  have  no  con- 
cern." But  as  soon  as  they  trench  on  matters  of 
faith  she  cries  out:  "Hitherto  thou  shalt  come, 
and  shalt  go  no  farther;  and  here  thou  shalt  break 
thy  swelling  waves "  ^  of  discord.  The  temple  of 
faith  is  the  asylum  of  peace,  concord  and  unity. 

How  sublime  and  consoling  is  the  thought  that 
whithersoever  a  Catholic  goes  over  the  broad 
world,  whetii*''  he  enters  his  Church  in  Pekin  or  in 

iJob  xxsviii.  I^. 


UNITY  OF  THE  CHUECH  11 

Melbourne,  in  London,  or  Dublin,  or  Paris,  or 
Rome,  or  New  York,  or  San  Francisco,  he  is  sure 
to  hear  the  self-same  doctrine  preached,  to  assist 
at  the  same  sacrifice,  and  to  partake  of  the  same 
sacraments. 

This  is  not  all.  Her  Creed  is  now  identical  with 
what  it  was  in  past  ages.  The  same  Gospel  of 
peace  that  Jesus  Christ  preached  on  the  Mount; 
the  same  doctrine  that  St.  Peter  preached  at  An- 
tioch  and  Rome;  St.  Paul  at  Ephesus;  St.  John 
Chrysostom  at  Constantinople;  St.  Augustine  in 
Hippo;  St.  Ambrose  in  Milan;  St.  Remigius  in 
France;  St.  Boniface  in  Germany;  St.  Athanasius 
in  Alexandria ;  the  same  doctrine  that  St.  Patrick 
introduced  into  Ireland;  that  St.  Augustine 
brought  into  England,  and  St.  Pelagius  into  Scot- 
land, and  that  Columbus  brought  to  this  American 
Continent,  and  this  is  the  doctrine  that  is  ever 
preached  in  the  Catholic  Church  throughout  the 
globe,  from  January  till  December — ''Jesus  Christ 
yesterday,  and  today,  and  the  same  forever. "  ^ 

The  same  admirable  unity  that  exists  in  matters 
of  faith  is  also  established  in  the  government  of 
the  Church.  All  the  members  of  the  vast  body  of 
Catholic  Christians  are  as  intimately  united  to  one 
visible  Chief  as  the  members  of  the  human  body 
are  joined  to  the  head.  The  faithful  of  each  Parish 
are  subject  to  their  immediate  Pastor.  Each  Pas- 
tor is  subordinate  to  his  Bishop,  and  each  Bishop 
of  Christendom  acknowledges  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Bishop  of  Rome,  the  successor  of  St.  Peter, 
and  Head  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

But  it  may  be  asked,  is  not  this  unity  of  faith 
impaired  by  those  doctrinal  definitions  which  the 
Church  has  promulgated  from  time  to  time  ?  We 
answer :  No  new  dogma,  unknown  to  the  Apostles, 

»Heb.  xiii.  8. 


13  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

not  contained  in  the  primitive  Cliristian  revela- 
tion, can  be  admitted.  (John  xiv.  26 ;  xv.  15 ;  xvi.  13.) 
For  the  Apostles  received  the  whole  deposit  of 
God's  word,  according  to  the  promise  of  our  Lord: 
''When  He  shall  come,  the  Spirit  of  truth.  He 
L^shall  teach  you  all  truth."  And  so  the  Church 
proposes  the  doctrines  of  faith,  such  as  came 
from  the  lips  of  Christ,  and  as  the  Holy  Spirit 
taught  them  to  the  Apostles  at  the  birth  of  the 
Christian  law — doctrines  which  know  neither 
variation  nor  decay. 

Hence,  whenever  it  has  been  defined  that  any 
point  of  doctrine  pertained  to  the  Catholic  faith,  it 
was  always  understood  that  this  was  equivalent  to 
the  declaration  that  the  doctrine  in  question  had 
been  revealed  to  the  Ap/'/stles,  and  had  come  down 
to  us  from  them,  either  by  Scripture  or  tradition. 
And  as  the  acts  of  all  the  Councils,  and  the  history 
of  every  definition  of  faith  evidently  show,  it  was 
never  contended  that  a  new  revelation  had  been 
made,  but  every  inquiry  was  directed  to  this  one 
point — whether  the  doctrine  in  question  was  con- 
tained in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  or  in  the  Apostolic 
traditions. 

A  revealed  truth  frequently  has  a  very  extensive 
scope,  and  is  directed  against  error  under  its  many 
changing  forms.  Nor  is  it  necessary  that  those 
who  receive  this  revelation  in  the  first  instance 
should  be  explicitly  acquainted  with  its  full  im- 
port, or  cognizant  of  ail  its  bearings.  Truth  never 
changes;  it  is  the  same  now,  yesterday,  and  for- 
ever, in  itself;  but  our  relations  towards  truth  may 
change,  for  that  which  is  hidden  from  us  today 
may  become  known  to  us  tomorrow.  "It  often 
happens,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "that  when  it  be- 
comes necessary  to  defend  certain  points  of  Catho- 
lic   doctrine    against    the    insidious    attacks    of 


UNITY  OF  THE  CHURCH  13 

heretics  they  are  more  carefully  studied,  they  be- 
come 7nore  clearly  understood,  they  are  more 
earnestly  inculcated;  and  so  the  very  questions 
raised  by  heretics  give  occasion  to  a  more  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  subject  in  question. ''  ^ 

Let  us  illustrate  this.  In  the  Apostolic  revela- 
tion and  preaching  some  truths  might  have  been 
contained  implicitly,  e.  g.,  in  the  doctrine  that 
grace  is  necessary  for  every  salutary  work,  it  is 
implicitly  asserted  that  the  assistance  of  grace  is 
required  for  the  inception  of  every  good  and  salu- 
tary work.  This  was  denied  by  the  semi-Pelagi- 
ans, and  their  error  was  condemned  by  an  explicit 
definition,  ^ind  so  in  other  matters,  as  the  rising 
controversies  or  new  errors  gave  occasion  for  it, 
there  were  more  explicit  declarations  of  what  was 
formerly  implicitly  believed.  In  the  doctrine  of 
the  supreme  power  of  Peter,  as  the  visible  founda- 
tion^ of  the  Church,  we  have  the  ifnplied  assertion 
of  mar-y  rights  and  duties  which  belong  to  the 
centre  of  unity.  In  the  revelation  of  the  super- 
eminent  dignity  and  purity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
there  is  implied  her  exemption  from  original  sin, 
et«.,  etc. 

>So,  too,  in  the  beginning  many  truths  might  have 
been  proposed  somewhat  obscurely  or  less  clearly; 
they  might  have  been  less  urgently  insisted  upon, 
because  there  was  no  heresy,  nb  contrary  teaching 
to  render  a  more  explicit  declaration  necessary. 
Now,  a  doctrine  which  is  implicitly,  less  clearly, 
not  so  earnestly  proposed,  may  be  overlooked,  mis- 
understood, called  in  question;  consequently,  it 
may  happen  that  some  articles  are  now  universally 
believed  in  the  Church,  in  regard  to  which  doubts 
and  controversies  existed  in  former  ages,  even 
withm  the  bosom  of  the  Church.  ' '  Those  who  err 
iDe  Civitate  Dei,  Ub.  1$,  Cap.  ii.,  No.  1. 


14  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHEES 

in  belief  do  but  serve  to  bring  out  more  clearly  the 
soundness  of  those  who  believe  rightly.  For  there 
are  many  things  which  lay  hidden  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  when  heretics  were  cut  off  they  vexed 
the  Church  of  God  with  disputes ;  then  the  hidden 
things  were  brought  to  light,  and  the  will  of  God 
was  made  known."  (St.  Augustine  on  the  54th 
Psalm,  No.  22.) 

This  kind  of  progress  in  faith  we  can  and  do 
admit;  but  the  truth  is  not  changed  thereby.  As 
Albertus  Magnus  says :  ''It  would  be  more  correct 
to  style  this  the  progress  of  the  believer  in  the 
faith,  than  of  the  faith  in  the  believer." 

To  show  that  this  kind  of  progress  is  to  be  ad- 
mitted only  two  things  are  to  be  jDroved :  1 :  That 
some  divinely  revealed  truths  should  be  contained 
in  the  Apostolic  teaching  implicitly,  less  clearly 
explained,  less  urgently  pressed.  And  this  can  be 
denied  only  by  those  who  hold  that  the  Bible  is  the 
only  rule  of  Faith,  that  it  is  clear  in  every  part, 
and  could  be  readily  understood  by  all  from  the 
beginning.  This  point  I  shall  consider  farther  on 
in  this  work.  2.  That  the  Church  can,  in  process 
of  time,  as  occasions  arise,  declare,  explain,  urge. 
This  is  proved  not  only  from  the  Scriptures  and 
the  Fathers,  but  even  from  the  conduct  of  Prot- 
estants themselves,  who  often  boast  of  the  care 
and  assiduity  with  which  they  ' '  search  the  Scrip- 
tures," and  study  out  their  meaning,  even  now 
that  so  many  Commentaries  on  the  sacred  Text 
have  been  published.  And  why?  To  obtain  more 
light ;  to  understand  better  what  is  revealed.  ^  It 
would  appear  from  this  that  the  only  question 
which  could  arise  on  this  point  is,  not  about  the 
possibility  of  arriving  by  degrees  at  a  clearer  im- 
derstanding  of  the  true  sense  of  revelation,  as  cir- 
cumstances may  call  fc  successive  developments, 


UNITY  OP  TPTE  CHURCH  U 

but  about  the  authority  of  the  Church  to  propose 
and  to  determine  that  sense.  So  that,  after  all, 
we  are  always  brought  back  to  the  only  real  point 
of  division  and  dispute  between  those  who  are  not 
Catholics  and  ourselves,  namely,  to  the  authority 
of  the  Church,  of  which  I  shall  have  more  to  say 
hereafter.  I  cannot  conclude  better  than  by  quot- 
ing the  words  of  St.  Vincent  of  Lerins:  ''Let  us 
take  care  that  it  be  with  us  in  matters  of  religion, 
which  affect  our  souls,  as  it  is  with  material  bodies, 
which,  as  time  goes  on,  pass  through  successive 
phases  of  growth  and  development  and  multiply 
their  years,  but  yet  remain  always  the  same  in- 
dividual bodies  as  they  were  in  the  beginning.  .  .  . 
It  very  properly  follows  from  the  nature  of  things 
that,  with  a  perfect  agreement  and  consistency  be- 
tween the  beginnings  and  the  final  results,  when 
we  reap  the  harvest  of  dogmatic  truth  which  has 
sprung  from  the  seeds  of  doctrine  sown  in  the 
spring-time  of  the  Church's  existence,  we  should 
find  no  substantial  difference  between  the  grain 
which  was  first  planted  and  that  which  we  now 
firather.  For  though  the  germs  of  the  early  faith 
have  in  some  respects  been  evolved  in  the  course 
of  time,  and  still  receive  nourishment  and  culture, 
yet  nothing  in  them  that  is  substantial  can  ever 
suffer  change.  The  Church  of  Christ  is  a  faithful 
and  ever  watchful  guardian  of  the  dogmas  which 
have  been  committed  to  her  charge.  In  this  sacred 
deposit  she  changes  nothing,  she  takes  nothing 
from  it,  she  adds  nothiag  to  it." 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  HOLINESS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

OLINESS  is  also  a  mark  of  the  true  Chnrch; 
for  in  the  Creed  we  say,  "I  believe  in  the 
Jioly  Catholic  Church." 

Every  society  is  founded  for  a  special  object. 
One  society  is  formed  with  the  view  of  cultivating 
social  intercourse  among  its  members ;  a  second  is 
organized  to  advance  their  temporal  interests ;  and 
a  third  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  literary  pur- 
suits. The  Catholic  Church  is  a  society  founded 
by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  the  sanctification  of 
its  members ;  hence,  St.  Peter  calls  the  Christians 
of  his  time  "a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priest- 
hood, a  holy  nation,  a  purchased  people."  ^ 

The  example  of  our  Divine  Pounder,  Jesus 
Christ,  the  sublime  moral  lessons  He  has  taught 
us,  the  Sacraments  He  has  instituted — all  tend  to 
our  sanctification.  They  all  concentre  themselves 
in  our  soul,  like  so  many  heavenly  rays,  to  en- 
lighten and  inflame  it  with  the  fire  of  devotion. 

When  the  Church  speaks  to  us  of  the  attributes 
of  our  Lord,  of  His  justice  and  mercy  and  sanctity 
and  truth,  hev  object  is  not  merely  to  extol  the 
Divine  perfections,  but  also  to  exhort  us  to  imitate 
them,  and  to  be  like  Him,  just  and  merciful,  holy 
and  truthful.  Behold  the  sublime  Model  that  is 
placed  before  us!    It  is  not  man,  nor  angel,  noi» 

*I  P»t  ii.  a. 

16 


HOLINESS  OF  THE  CHUECH  17 

archangel,  but  Jesus  Clirist,  the  Son  of  God,  *'who 
is  the  brightness  of  His  glory,  and  the  figure  of 
His  substance. ' '  ^  The  Church  places  His  image 
over  our  altars,  admonishing  us  to  "look  and  do 
according  to  the  pattern  shown  on  the  Mount. ' '  ^ 
And  from  that  height  He  seems  to  say  to  us :  * '  Be 
ye  holy,  for  I  the  Lord  your  God  am  holy. "  ^  ' '  Be 
ye  perfect,  even  as  your  heavenly  Father  is  per- 
fect."^ *'Be  ye  followers  of  God  as  most  dear 
children."^ 

We  are  invited  to  lead  holy  lives,  not  only  be- 
cause our  Divine  Founder,  Jesus  Christ,  was  holy, 
but  also  because  we  bear  His  sweet  and  venerable 
name.    We  are  called  Christians.    That  is  a  name 
we  would  not  exchange  for  all  the  high-sounding 
titles  of  Prince  or  Emperor.    We  are  justly  proud 
of  this  appellation  of  Christian;  but  we  are  re- 
minded that  it  has  annexed  to  it  a  corresponding 
obligation.    It  is  not  an  idle  name,  but  one  full  of 
solemn  significance;  for  a  Christian,  as  the  very 
name  implies,  is  a  follower  or  disciple  of  Christ — 
one  who  walks  in  the  footsteps  of  his  Master  by 
observing  His  precepts;  who  reproduces  in  his 
own  life  the  character  and  virtues  of  his  Divine  ' 
Model.    In  a  word,  a  Christian  is  another  Christ  i 
It  would,  therefore,  be  a  contradiction  in  terms,  if  • 
a  Christian  had  nothing  in  common  with  his  Lord ; 
except  the  name.     The  disciple  should  imitate  his  I 
Master,  the  soldier  should  imitate  his  Commander,  \ 
and  the  members  should  be  like  the  Head.  ' 

The  Church  constantly  allures  her  children  to 
holiness  by  placing  before  their  minds  the  Incarna- 
tion, life  and  death  of  our  Savior.  What  appeals 
more  forcibly  to  a  life  of  piety  than  the  contempla- 
tion of  Jesus  born  in  a  stable,  living  an  humble  life 

'  Heb.  I.  3.  '■  Exod,  xxv.  m.  » Lev.  xix.  2. 

•Matt.  V.  48.  «^Eph.  v.  1. 


18  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

in  Nazareth,  dying  on  a  cross,  that  His  blood  might 
purify  nsl  If  He  sent  forth  Apostles  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  the  whole  world;  if  in  His  name 
temples  are  built  in  every  nation,  and  mission- 
aries are  sent  to  the  extremities  of  the  globe,  all 
this  is  done  that  we  may  be  Saints.  "God,"  says 
St.  Paul,  "gave  some  Apostles,  and  some  Proph- 
ets, and  others  Evangelists, and  others  Pastors  and 
Doctors,  for  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints,  for  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  building  up  of-  the 
body  of  Christ,  until  we  all  meet  unto  the  unity  of 
faith  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God  unto 
a  perfect  man. ' '  * 

The  moral  law  which  the  Catholic  Church  incul- 
cates on  her  children  is  the  highest  and  holiest 
standard  of  perfection  ever  presented  to  any  peo- 
ple, and  furnishes  the  strongest  incentives  to 
virtue. 

The  same  Divine  precepts  delivered  through 
Moses  to  the  Jews,  on  Mount  Sinai,  the  same 
salutary  warnings  which  the  Prophets  uttered 
throughout  Judea,  the  same  sublime  and  consoling 
lessons  of  morality  which  Jesus  gave  on  the 
Mount — these  are  the  lessons  which  the  Church 
teaches  from  January  till  December.  The  Catho- 
lic preacher  does  not  amuse  his  audience  with 
speculative  topics  or  political  harangues,  or  any 
other  subjects  of  a  transitory  nature.  He  preaches 
only  "Christ,  and  Him  crucified." 

This  code  of  Divine  precepts  is  enforced  with  as 
much  zeal  by  the  Church  as  was  the  Decalogue 
of  old  by  Moses,  when  he  said:  "These  words, 
which  I  command  thee  this  day,  shall  be  in  thy 
heart;  and  thou  shalt  tell  them  to  thy  children; 
ind  thou  shalt  meditate  upon  them,  sitting  in  thy 

*  Epheis.  iv.  11,  la 


HOLINESS  OF  THE  CHURCH  19 

house,  and  walking  on  thy  journey,  sleeping  and 
rising. ' '  * 

The  first  lesson  taught  to  children  in  our  Sun- 
day-schools is  their  duty  to  know,  love  and  serve 
God,  and  thus  to  be  Saints ;  for  if  they  know,  love 
and  serve  God  aright  they  shall  be  Saints  indeed. 
Their  tender  minds  are  instructed  in  this  great 
truth  that  though  they  had  the  riches  of  Dives,  and 
the  glory  and  pleasures  of  Solomon,  and  yet  fail  to 
be  righteous,  they  have  missed  their  vocation,  and 
are  ' '  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind, 
and  naked."  ^  "For,  what  doth  it  profit  a  man,  if 
he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  souH"  ^ 
On  the  contrary  though  they  are  as  poor  as  Laza- 
rus, and  as  miserable  as  Job  in  the  days  of  his  ad- 
v^ersity,  they  are  assured  that  their  condition  is  a 
happy  one  in  the  sight  of  God,  if  they  live  up  to 
the  maxims  of  the  Gospel. 

The  Church  quickens  the  zeal  of  her  children  for 
holiness  of  life  by  impressing  on  their  minds  the 
rigor  of  God's  judgments,  who  "will  bring  to  light 
the  hidden  things  of  darkness,  and  make  manifest 
the  counsels  of  the  hearts,"  by  reminding  them  of 
the  terrors  of  Hell  and  of  the  sweet  joys  of 
Heaven. 

Not  only  are  Catholics  instructed  in  church  on 
Sundays  but  they  are  exhorted  to  peruse  the  Word 
of  God,  and  manuals  of  devotion,  at  home.  The 
saints  whose  lives  are  there  recorded  serve  like 
bright  stars  to  guide  them  over  the  stormy  ocean 
of  life  to  the  shores  of  eternity ;  while  the  history 
of  those  who  have  fallen  from  grace  stands  like  a 
beacon  light,  warning  them  to  shun  the  rocks 
against  which  a  Solomon  and  a  Judas  made  ship- 
wreck of  their  souls. 

Our  books  of  piety  are  adapted  to  every  want 

*Deut.  vi.  6,  7  ^Apoe.  iii.  7.  ^  Matt.  xvl.  26. 


20  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

of  the  human  soul,  and  are  a  fruitful  source  of 
sanctification.  Who  can  read  without  spiritual 
profit  such  works  as  the  almost  inspired  Following 
of  Christ  by  Thomas  a  Kempis ;  the  Christian  Per- 
fection of  Eodriguez;  the  Spiritual  Combat  of 
Scupoli ;  the  writings  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  and 
a  countless  host  of  other  ascetical  authors  ? 

You  will  search  in  vain  outside  the  Catholic 
Church  for  writers  comparable  in  unction  and 
healthy  piety  to  such  as  I  have  mentioned.  Com- 
pare, for  instance,  Kempis  with  Bimyan's  Pil- 
grim's Progress,  or  Butler's  Lives  of  the  Saints 
with  Foxe  's  Book  of  Martyrs.  You  lay  down  Butler 
with  a  sweet  and  tranquil  devotion,  and  with  a 
profound  admiration  for  the  Christian  heroes 
whose  lives  he  records ;  wliile  you  put  aside  Foxe 
with  a  troubled  mind  and  a  sense  of  vindictive  bit- 
terness. I  do  not  speak  of  the  Booh  of  Com7non 
Prayer,  because  the  best  part  of  it  is  a  translation 
from  our  Missal.  Protestants  also  publish  Kem- 
pis, though  sometimes  in  a  mutilated  form;  every 
passage  in  the  original  being  carefully  omitted 
which  alludes  to  Catholic  doctrines  and  practices. 

A  distinguished  Episcopal  clergyman  of  Balti- 
more once  avowed  to  me  that  his  favorite  books  of 
devotion  were  our  standard  works  of  piety.  In 
saying  this,  he  paid  a  merited  and  graceful  tribute 
to  the  superiority  of  Catholic  spiritual  literature. 

The  Church  gives  us  not  only  the  most  pressing 
motives,  but  also  the  most  potent  means  for  our 
sanctification.  These  means  are  furnished  by 
prayer  and  the  Sacraments.  She  exhorts  us  to 
frequent  communion  with  God  by  prayer  and 
meditation,  and  so  imperative  is  this  obligation  iil 
our  eyes  that  we  woTild  justly  hold  ourselves 
guilty  of  grave  dereliction  of  duty  if  we  neglected 


HOLINESS  OF  THE  CHUKCH  21 

for  a  considerable  time  the  practice  of  morning 
and  evening  prayer. 

The  most  abundant  source  of  graces  ia  also 
found  in  the  seven  Sacraments  of  the  Church.  Our 
soul  is  bathed  in  the  Precious  Blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  at  the  font  of  Baptism,  from  which  we  come 
forth  "new  creatures."  We  are  then  and  there 
incorporated  with  Christ,  becoming  "bone  of  His 
bone  and  flesh  of  His  flesh;"  "for  as  many  of 
you,"  says  the  Apostle,  "as  have  been  baptized  in 
Christ  have  put  on  Christ."^  And  as  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  inseparable  from  Christ,  our  bodies  are 
made  the  temples  of  the  Spirit  of  God  and  our 
souls  His  Sanctuary.  "Christ  loved  the  Church 
and  delivered  Himself  up  for  it,  that  He  might 
sanctify  it,  cleansing  it  by  the  laver  of  water,  in 
the  word  of  life ;  that  He  might  present  it  to  Him- 
self a  glorious  Church,  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle, 
or  any  such  thing,  but  that  it  should  be  holy  and 
without  blemish. ' '  ^ 

In  Confirmation  we  receive  new  graces  and  new 
strength  to  battle  against  the  temptations  of  life. 

In  the  Eucharist  we  are  fed  with  the  living 
Bread  which  cometh  down  from  Heaven. 

In  Penance  are  washed  away  the  stains  we  have 
contracted  after  Baptism. 

Are  we  called  to  the  Sacred  Ministry,  or  to  the 
married  state,  we  find  in  the  Sacraments  of  Orders 
and  Matrimony  ample  graces  corresponding  with 
the  condition  of  life  which  we  have  embraced. 

And  our  last  illness  is  consoled  by  Extreme  Unc- 
tion, wherein  we  receive  the  Divine  succor  neces- 
sary to  fortify  and  purify  us  before  departing 
horn  this  world. 

In  a  word,  the  Church,  like  a  watchful  mother, 

'<?:al.  m.  27.  '  Bph.  V.  23-27. 


22  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

accompanies  ns  from  tlie  cradle  to  the  grave,  sup- 
plyiag  us  at  each  step  with  the  medicine  of  life  and 
immortality. 

As  the  Church  offers  to  her  children  the  strong- 
est motives  and  the  most  powerful  means  for  at- 
taining to  sanctity  of  life,  so  does  she  reap  among 
them  the  most  abundant  fruits  of  holiness.  In 
every  age  and  country  she  is  the  fruitful  mother  of 
saints.  Our  Ecclesiastical  calendar  is  not  confined 
to  the  names  of  the  twelve  Apostles.  It  is  em- 
blazoned with  the  lists  of  heroic  Martyrs  who 
**were  stoned,  and  cut  asunder,  and  put  to  death 
by  the  sword;"'  of  innumerable  Confessors  and 
Hermits  who  left  all  things  and  followed  Christ ;  of 
spotless  virgins  who  preserved  their  chastity  for 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 's  sake.  Every  day  in  the 
year  is  consecrated  in  our  Martyrology  to  a  large 
number  of  Saints. 

And  m  our  own  times,  in  every  quarter  of  the 
globe  and  in  every  department  of  life,  the  Church 
continues  to  raise  up  Saints  worthy  of  the  primi- 
tive days  of  Christianity. 

If  we  seek  for  Apostles,  we  find  them  conspicu- 
ously among  the  Bishops  of  Germany,  who  are 
now  displaying  in  prison  and  in  exile  a  serene 
heroism  worthy  of  Peter  and  Paul. 

Every  year  rewrds  the  tortures  of  Catholic 
missioners  who  die  Martyrs  to  ihe  Faith  in  China, 
Corea,  and  other  Pagan  countries. 

Among  her  confessors  are  numbered  those  de- 
voted priests  who,  abandoning  home  and  family 
ties,  annually  go  forth  to  preach  the  Gospel  in 
foreign  lands.  Their  worldly  possessions  are 
often  confined  to  a  few  books  of  devotion  and  their 
modest  apparel. 

And   who   is   a   stranger   to   her   consecrated 

»Heb.  xi.  37. 


HOLINESS  OF  THE  CHIJECH  S3 

virgins,  those  sisters  of  various  Orders  who  in 
every  large  city  of  Christendom  are  daily  reclaim- 
ing degraded  women  from  a  life  of  shame,  and 
bringing  them  back  to  the  sweet  influences  of  re- 
ligion ;  who  snatch  the  abandoned  offspring  of  sin 
from  temporal  and  spiritual  death,  and  make  them 
pious  and  useful  members  of  society,  becoming 
more  than  mothers  to  them;  who  rescue  children 
from  ignorance,  and  instill  into  their  minds  the 
knowledge  and  love  of  God. 

We  can  point  to  numberless  saints  also  among 
the  laity.  I  dare  assert  that  in  almost  every  con- 
gregation in  the  Catholic  world,  men  and  women 
are  to  be  found  who  exhibit  a  fervent  piety  and  a 
zeal  for  religion  which  render  them  worthy  of  be- 
ing named  after  the  Annas,  the  Aquilas  and  the 
Priscillas  of  the  New  Testament.  They  attract 
not  indeed  the  admiration  of  the  public,  because 
true  piety  is  unostentatious  and  seeks  a  ''life  hid- 
den with  Christ  in  God. ' '  * 

It  must  not  be  imagined  that,  in  proclaiming  the 
sanctity  of  the  Church,  I  am  attempting  to  prove 
that  all  Catholics  are  holy.  I  am  sorry  to  confess 
that  corruption  of  morals  is  too  often  found  among 
professing  Catholics.  We  cannot  close  our  eyes  to 
the  painful  fact  that  too  many  of  them,  far  from 
living  up  to  the  teachings  of  their  Church,  are 
sources  of  melancholy  scandal.  *'It  must  be  that 
scandals  come,  but  woe  to  him  by  whom  the  scandal 
cometh.'*  I  also  admit  that  the  sin  of  Catholics 
is  more  heinous  in  the  sight  of  God  than  that  of 
their  separated  brethren,  because  they  abuse  more 
grace. 

But  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  neither  God 
nor  His  Church  forces  any  man's  conscience.  To 
all  He  says  by  the  mouth  of  His  Prophet:  **Be* 

*Coloss,  iiL  3. 


24  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

hold  I  set  before  you  the  way  of  life  and  the  way 
of  death."  (Jer.'xxi.  8.)  The  choice  rests  with 
yourselves. 

It  is  easy  to  explain  why  so  many  disedifying 
members  are  always  found  clinging  to  the  robes  of 
the  Church,  thdr  spiritual  Mother,  and  why  she 
never  shakes  them  off  nor  disowns  them  as  her 
children.  The  Church  is  animated  by  the  spirit  of 
her  Pounder,  Jesus  Christ.  He  ''came  into  this 
world  to  save  sinners.'*^  He  "came  not  to  call 
the  just  but  sinners  to  repentance."  He  was  the 
Friend  of  Publicans  and  Sinners  that  He  might 
make  them  the  friends  of  God.  And  they  clung  to 
Him,  knowing  His  compassion  for  them. 

The  Church,  walking  in  the  footsteps  of  her 
Divine  Spouse,  never  repudiates  sinners  nor  cuts 
them  off  from  her  fold,  no  matter  how  grievous  or 
notorious  may  be  their  moral  delinquencies;  not 
because  she  connives  at  their  sin,  but  because  she 
wishes  to  reclaim  them.  She  bids  them  never  to 
despair,  and  tries,  at  least,  to  weaken  their  pas- 
sions, if  she  cannot  altogether  reform  their  lives. 

Mindful  also  of  the  words  of  our  Lord:  "The 
poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them,"^  the 
Church  has  a  tender  compassion  for  the  victims  of 
poverty,  which  has  its  train  of  peculiar  tempta- 
tions and  infirmities.  Hence,  the  poor  and  the 
sinners  cling  to  the  Church,  as  they  clung  to  our 
Lord  during  His  mortal  life. 

We  know,  on  the  other  hand,  that  sinners  who 
are  guilty  of  gross  crimes  which  shock  public 
decency  are  virtually  excommunicated  from  Prot- 
estant Communions.  And  as  for  the  poor,  tne 
public  press  often  complains  that  little  or  no  pro- 
vision is  made  for  them  in  Protestant  Churches. 
A  gentleman  informed  me  that  he  never  saw  a 

M.  Tim.  L  15.  'Matt  xi.  5. 


HOLINESS  OF  THE  CHURCH  3g 

poor  person  enter  an  Episcopal  Church  which  was 
contiguous  to  his  residence. 

These  excluded  sinners  and  victims  of  penury 
either  abandon  Christianity  altogether,  or  find 
refuge  in  the  bosom  of  their  true  Mother,  the 
Catholic  Church,  who,  like  her  Divine  Spouse, 
claims  the  aflflicted  as  her  most  cherished  inherit- 
ance. The  parables  descriptive  of  this  Church 
which  our  Lord  employed  also  clearly  teach  us 
that  the  good  and  bad  shall  be  joined  together  in 
the  Church  as  long  as  her  earthly  mission  lasts. 
The  kingdom  of  God  is  like  a  field  in  which  the 
cockle  is  allowed  to  grow  up  with  the  good  seed 
until  the  harvest-time;^  it  is  like  a  net  which  en- 
closes good  fish  and  bad  until  the  hour  of  separa- 
tion comes.2  So,  too,  the  Church  is  that  great 
house  ^  in  which  there  are  not  only  vessels  of  gold 
and  silver,  but  also  of  wood  and  clay. 

The  Fathers  repeat  the  teaching  of  Scripture. 
St.  Jerome  says : ' '  The  ark  of  Noah  was  a  type  of 
the  Church.  As  every  kind  of  animal  was  in  that, 
so  in  this  there  are  men  of  every  race  and  charac- 
ter. As  in  that  were  the  leopard  and  the  kids,  the 
wolf  and  the  lambs,  so  in  this  there  are  to  be  found 
the  just  and  the  sinful — that  is,  vessels  of  gold  and 
silver  along  with  those  of  wood  and  clay."^ 

St.  Gregory  the  Great  writes:  ''Because  in  it, 
(the  Church)  the  good  are  mingled  with  the  bad, 
the  reprobate  with  the  elect,  it  is  rightly  declared 
to  be  similar  to  the  wise  and  the  foolish  \drgins."  ^ 

Listen  to  St.  Augustine:  "Let  the  mind  recall 
the  threshing-floor  containing  straw  and  wheat; 
the  nets  in  which  are  inclosed  good  and  bad  fish; 
the  ark  of  Noah  in  which  were  clean  and  unclean 
animals,  and  you  will  see  that  the  Church  from 

»  Matt,  xlii,  24-37.  *  Ibid.  xlil.  47.  '  II.  Tim.  11.  20. 

•Dial,  contra  Luclf.  "^Hora.  12,  in  Evang, 


26  THE  FAITH  Ob'  OFE  FATHERS 

now  until  the  judgment  day  contains  not  only 
sheep  and  oxen — that  is,  saintly  laymen  and  holy 
ministers — but  also  the  beasts  of  the  field.  .  .  . 
For  the  beasts  of  the  field  are  men  who  take  de- 
light in  carnal  pleasures,  the  field  being  that  broad 
way  ivhich  leads  to  perdition."  ^ 

The  occasional  scandals  existing  among  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  do  not  invalidate  or  impair  her 
claim  to  the  title  of  sanctity.  The  spots  on  the  sun 
do  not  mar  his  brightness.  Neither  do  the  moral 
stains  of  some  members  sully  the  brilliancy  of 
her  "who  cometh  forth  as  the  morning  star,  fair  as 
the  moon,  bright  as  the  sun. ' '  ^  The  cockle  that 
grows  amidst  the  wheat  does  not  destroy  the 
beauty  of  the  ripened  harvest.  The  sanctity  of 
Jesus  was  not  sullied  by  the  presence  of  Judas  in 
the  Apostolic  College.  Neither  can  the  moral  cor- 
ruption of  a  few  disciples  tarnish  the  holiness  of 
the  Church.  St.  Paul  calls  the  Church  of  Corinth 
a  congregation  of  Saints,^  though  he  reproves 
some  scandalous  members  among  them.^ 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  corruption  of  morals 
prevailed  in  the  sixteenth  century  to  such  an  ex- 
tent as  to  call  for  a  sweeping  reformation,  and  that 
laxity  of  discipline  invaded  even  the  sanctuary. 

But  how  was  this  reformation  of  morals  to  be 
effected?  Was  it  to  be  accomplished  by  a  force 
operating  inside  the  Church,  or  outside!  I  an- 
swer that  the  proper  way  of  carrying  out  this  ref- 
ormation was  by  battling  agauist  iniquity  within 
the  Church;  for  there  was  not  a  single  weapon 
which  men  could  use  in  waging  war  with  vice  out- 
side the  Church,  which  they  could  not  wield  with 
more  effective  power  when  fighting  under  the  au- 
thority of  the  Church.    The  true  weapons  of  a» 

»In  Ps.  vlli.,  n.  13.  ^Cant.  vi.  9. 

» I.  Cor.  i.  ^  I.  Cor.  v. 


HOLINESS  OF  THE  CHURCH  27 

Apostle,  at  all  times,  have  been  personal  virtue, 
prayer, '  preaching,  and  the  Sacraments.  Every 
genuine  reformer  had  those  weapons  at  his  dis- 
posal within  the  Church. 

She  possesses,  at  all  times,  not  only  the  principle 
of  undying  vitality,  but,  besides,  all  the  elements 
of  reformation,  and  all  the  means  of  sanctification. 
With  the  weapons  I  have  named  she  purified 
morals  in  the  first  century,  and  with  the  same 
weapons  she  went  to  work  with  a  right  good  will, 
and  effected  a  moral  reformation  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  She  was  the  only  effectual  spiritual  re- 
former of  that  age. 

^Vhat  was  the  Council  of  Tl-ent  but  a  great  re- 
forming tribunal  ?  Most  of  its  decrees  are  directed 
to  the  reformation  of  abuses  among  the  clergy  and 
the  laity,  and  the  salutary  fruits  of  its  legislation 
are  reaped  even  to  this  day. 

St.  Charles  Borromeo,  the  nephew  of  a  reigning 
Pope,  was  the  greatest  reformer  of  his  time.  His 
whole  Episcopal  career  was  spent  in  elevating  the 
morals  of  his  clergy  and  people.  Bartholomew, 
Archbishop  of  Braga,  in  Portugal,  preached  an 
incessant  crusade  against  iniquity  in  high  and  low 
places.  St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola  and  St.  Alphonsus, 
with  their  companions,  were  conspicuous  and  suc- 
cessful reformers  throughout  Europe.  St.  Philip 
Neri  was  called  the  modern  Apostle  of  Eome  be- 
cause of  his  happy  efforts  in  dethroning  vice  in 
that  city.  All  these  Catholic  Apostles  preach  by 
example  as  well  as  by  word. 

How  do  Luther  and  Calvin,  and  Zuinglius  and 
Knox,  and  Henry  VIII  compare  with  these 
genuine  and  saintly  reformers,  both  as  to  their 
moral  character  and  the  fruit  of  their  labors? 
The  private  lives  of  these  pseudo-reformers  were 
<5tained  by  cruelty,  rapine,  and  licentiousness ;  and 


28  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

as  the  result  of  their  propagandism,  history; 
records  civil  wars,  and  bloodshed,  and  bitter  relig- 
ious strife,  and  the  dismemberment  of  Christian- 
ity into  a  thousand  sects. 

Instead  of  co-operating  with  the  lawful  authori- 
ties in  extinguishing  the  flames  which  the  passions 
of  men  had  enkindled  in  the  city  of  God,  these 
faithless  citizens  fly  from  the  citadel  which  they 
hiid  vowed  to  defend;  then  joining  the  enemy,  they 
hasten  back  to  fan  the  conflagration,  and  k>  in- 
crease the  commotion.  And  they  overturn  the 
very  altars  before  which  they  previously  sacrificed 
as  consecrated  priests.^  They  sanctioned  rebel- 
lion by  undermining  the  principle  of  authority. 

What  a  noble  opportunity  they  lost  of  earning 
for  themselves  immortal  honors  from  God  and 
man!  If,  instead  of  raising  the  standard  of  re- 
volt, they  had  waged  war  upon  their  own  passions, 
and  fought  with  the  Catholic  reformers  against 
impiety,  they  would  be  hailed  as  true  soldiers  of 
the  cross.  They  would  be  welcomed  by  the  Pope, 
the  Bishops  and  clergy,  and  by  all  good  men.  They 
might  be  honored  today  on  our  altars,  and  might 
have  a  niche  in  our  temples,  side  by  side  with 
those  of  Charles  Borromeo  and  Ignatius  Loyola; 
and  instead  of  a  divided  army  of  Christians,  we 
should  behold  today  a  united  Christendom,  spread- 
ing itself  irresistibly  from  nation  to  nation,  and 
bringing  all  kingdoms  to  the  knowledge  of  Jesus 
Christ. 


*  Luther,  Zuinglius,  and  Knox  had  been  ordained  priests. 
Calvin  had  studied  for  the  priesthood,  but  did  not  receive 
Orders. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CATHOLICITY. 

THAT  Catholicity  is  a  prominent  note  of  the 
Church  is  evident  from  the  Apostles'  Creed, 
which  says:  "I  believe  in  the  Holy  CatJwlic 
Church. ' '  The  word  Catholic,  or  Universal,  signi- 
fies that  the  true  Church  is  not  circumscribed  in 
its  extent,  like  human  empires,  nor  confined  to  one 
race  of  people,  like  the  Jewish  Church,  but  that  she 
is  diffused  over  every  nation  of  the  globe,  and 
counts  her  children  among  all  tribes  and  peoples 
and  tongues  of  the  earth. 

This  glorious  Church  is  foreshadowed  by  the 
Psalmist,  when  he  sings:  ''All  the  ends  of  the 
earth  shall  be  converted  to  the  Lord,  and  all  the 
kindreds  of  the  Gentiles  shall  adore  in  His  sight ; 
for  the  kingdom  is  the  Lord's,  and  He  shall  have 
dominion  over  the  nations."  *  The  Prophet 
Malachy  saw  in  the  distant  future  this  world-wide 
Church,  when  he  wrote:  "From  the  rising  of  the 
sun,  to  the  going  down,  My  name  is  great  among 
the  Gentiles ;  and  in  every  place  there  is  sacrifice, 
and  there  is  offered  to  My  name  a  clean  oblation ; 
for  My  name  is  great  among  the  Gentiles,  saith  the 
Lord  of  Hosts."  2 

When  our  Savior  gave  commission  to  his  Apos- 
tles He  assigned  to  them  the  whole  world  as  the 
theatre  of  their  labors,  and  the  entire  human  race, 
without  regard  to  language,  color,  or  nationality, 
»P8.  xU.  'Mai.  1.  11. 


30  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

as  the  audience  to  whom  they  were  to  preach. 
Unlike  the  religion  of  the  Jewish  people,  which 
was  national,  or  that  of  the  Mohammedans,  which 
is  local,  the  Catholic  religion  was  to  be  cosmopoli- 
tan, embracing  all  nations  and  all  countries.  This 
is  evident  from  the  following  passages:  ''Go  ye, 
therefore,  and  teach  all  nations/'^  "Go  ye  into 
the  whole  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature."^  "Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me  in 
Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  Samaria,  and 
even  to  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  " 

These  prophecies  declaring  that  the  Church  was 
to  be  world-wide  and  to  embrace  even  the  Gentile 
nations  may  not  strike  us  today  as  specially  re- 
markable, accustomed  as  we  are  now  to  meet  with 
Christian  civilization  everywhere,  and  to  see  the 
nations  of  the  world  bound  so  closely  together  by 
social  and  commercial  relations.  But  we  must  re- 
member that  when  they  were  uttered  the  true  God 
was  known  and  adored  only  in  an  obscure,  almost 
isolated,  corner  of  the  earth,  while  triumphant 
idolatry  was  the  otherwise  universal  religion  of 
the  world. 

The  prophecies  were  fulfilled.  The  Apostles 
scattered  themselves  over  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
preaching  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  "Their  sound,'* 
says  St.  Paul,  "went  over  all  the  earth  and  their 
words  unto  the  ends  of  the  whole  world."  ^  Within 
thirty  years  after  our  Savior's  Crucifixion  the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  was  able  to  say  to  the 
Eomans :  "  I  give  thanks  to  my  God  through  Jesus 
Christ  because  your  faith  is  spoken  of  in  the  en- 
tire world"  ^ — spoken  of  assuredly  by  those  who 
were  in  sympathy  and  communion  with  the  faith 
of  the  Romans. 

"Matt  xxviii.  19.  ^Mark  xvi.  15.  'Acts  1.  8.     - 

*Rom.  X  18.  »Rom.  i  18, 

I 


CATHOLICITY  31 

St.  Justin,  Martyr,  was  able  to  say,  about  one 
hundred  years  after  Christ,  that  there  was  no  race 
of  men,  whether  Barbarians  or  Greeks,  or  any 
other  people  of  what  name  soever,  among  whom 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  was  not  invoked. 

St.  Irenaeus,  writing  at  the  end  of  the  second 
century,  tells  us  that  the  religion  so  marvelously 
propagated  throughout  the  whole  world  was  not  a 
vague,  ever-changing  form  of  Christianity,  but 
that  "this  faith  and  doctrine  and  tradition 
preached  throughout  the  globe  is  as  uniform  as  if 
the  Church  consisted  of  one  family,  possessing  one 
soul,  one  heart,  and  as  if  she  had  but  one  mouth. 
For,  though  the  languages  of  the  world  are  dissim- 
ilar, her  doctrine  is  the  same.  The  churches  found- 
ed in  Germany,  in  the  Celtic  nations,  in  the  East 
in  Egypt,  in  Lybia,  and  in  the  centres  of  civiliza- 
tion, do  not  differ  from  each  other;  but  as  the  sun 
gives  the  same  light  throughout  the  world,  so  does 
the  light  of  faith  shine  everywhere  the  same  and 
enlighten  all  men  who  wish  to  come  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth."  ^ 

"We  are  but  of  yesterday,"  says  Tertullian, 
"and  already  have  we  filled  your  cities,  towns,  is- 
lands, your  council  halls  and  camps, . . .  the  palace, 
senate,  forum;  we  have  left  you  only  the  temples."^ 

Clement  of  Alexandria,  at  the  end  of  the  second 
century,  writes :  ' '  The  word  of  our  Master  did  not 
remain  in  Judea,  as  philosophy  remained  in  Greece, 
but  has  been  poured  out  over  the  whole  world,  per- 
suading Greeks  and  Barbarians  alike,  race  by  race, 
village  by  village,  every  city,  Whole  houses  and 
hearers  one  by  one — nay,  not  a  few  of  the  philoso- 
phers themselves. ' ' 

And  Origen,  in  the  early  part  of  the  next  century, 
observes :  "  In  all  Greece,  and  in  all  barbarous  races 
within  our  world,  there  are  tens  of  thousands  who 

Udv.  Hier.,  1.  h  •^^ologet,  tk  87. 


32  THE  FAITH  OF  OFR  FATHERS 

lia\e  left  their  national  law  and  customary  gods 
for  the  law  of  Moses  and  the  Word  of  Jesus 
Christ,  though  to  adhere  to  that  law  is  to  incur  the 
hatred  of  idolaters  and  the  risk  of  death  besides 
to  have  embraced  that  Word; and  considering  how, 
in  so  few  years,  in  spite  of  the  attack  made  on  us, 
even  to  the  loss  of  life  or  property,  and  with  no 
great  store  of  teachers, the  preaching  of  that  Word 
has  found  its  way  into  every  part  of  the  world,  so 
that  Greek  and  Barbarian,  wise  and  unwise,  ad- 
here to  the  religion  of  Jesus,  doubtless  it  is  a  work 
greater  than  any  work  of  man." 

This  Catholicity,  or  universality,  is  not  to  be 
found  in  any,  or  in  all,  of  the  combined  commu- 
nions separated  from  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

The  Schismatic  churches  of  the  East  have  no 
claim  to  this  title  because  they  are  confined  within 
the  Turkish  and  Russian  dominions,  and  number 
not  more  than  sixty  million  souls. 

The  Protestant  churches,  even  taken  collectively, 
(as  separate  communions  they  are  a  mere  hand- 
ful) are  too  insignificant  in  point  of  numbers,  and 
too  circumscribed  in  their  territorial  extent,  to 
have  any  pretensions  to  the  title  of  Catholic.  All 
the  Protestant  denominations  are  estimated  at 
sixty-five  million,  or  less  than  one-fifth  of  those 
who  bear  the  Christian  name.  They  repudiale, 
moreover,  and  protest  against  the  name  of  Cath- 
olic, though  they  continue  to  say  in  the  Apostles' 
Creed  ' '  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church. ' ' 

That  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  alone  deserves 
the  name  of  Catholic  is  so  evident  that  it  is  ridicu- 
lous to  deny  it.  Ours  is  the  only  Church  which 
adopts  this  name  as  her  official  title.  We  have  pos- 
session, which  is  nine-tenths  of  the  law.  We  have 
exclusively  borne  this  glorious  appellation  in  trou- 


CATHOLICITY  33 

bled  times,  when  the  assumption  of  this  venerable 
title  exposed  iis  to  insult,  persecution  and  death; 
and  to  attempt  to  deprive  us  of  it  at  this  late  hour, 
would  be  as  fruitless  as  the  efforts  of  the  French 
Revolutionists  who  sought  to  uproot  all  traces  of 
the  old  civilization  by  assigning  new  names  to  the 
days  and  seasons  of  the  year. 

Passion  and  prejudice  and  bad  manners  may 
affix  to  us  the  epithets  of  Romish  and  Papist  and 
Vltramontane,  but  the  calm,  dispassionate  mind, 
of  whatever  faith,  all  the  world  over,  knows  us 
only  by  the  name  of  CatJiolic.  There  is  a  power  in 
this  name  and  an  enthusiasm  aroused  by  it  akin 
to  the  patriotism  awakened  by  the  flag  of  one's 
country. 

So  great  is  the  charm  attached  to  the  name  of 
Catholic  that  a  portion  of  the  Episcopal  body 
sometimes  usurp  the  title  of  CatJiolic,  though  in 
their  official  books  they  are  named  Protestant 
Episcopalians.  If  they  think  that  they  have  any 
just  claim  to  the  name  of  CatJiolic,  why  not  come 
out  openly  and  write  it  on  the  title-pages  of  their 
Bibles  and  Prayer-Books  ?  Afraid  of  going  so  far, 
they  gratify  their  vanity  by  privately  calling 
themselves  Catholic.  But  the  delusion  is  so  trans- 
parent that  the  attempt  must  provoke  a  smile  even 
among  themselves. 

Should  a  stranger  ask  them  to  direct  him  to  the 
Catholic  Church  t^iey  would  instinctively  point  out 
to  him  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

The  sectarians  of  the  fourth  ana  fifth  centuries, 
as  St.  Augustine  tells  us,  used  to  attempt  the  same 
pious  fraud,  but  signally  failed; 

''We  must  hold  fast  to  the  Christian  religion 
and  to  the  communion  of  that  Church  which  is 
Catholic,  and  which  is  called  Catholic  not  only  by 
those  who  belong  to  her,  but  also  by  all  her  ene- 


34  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

mies.  Whether  they  will  it  or  not^  the  very  here- 
tics themselves  and  followers  of  schism,  when  they 
converse,  not  with  their  own  bu^.  with  outsiders, 
call  that  only  Catholic  which  is  really  Catholic. 
For  they  cannot  be  understood  unless  they  dis- 
tinguish her  by  that  name,  by  which  ehe  is  known 
throughout  the  whole  earth. ' '  ^ 

We  possess  not  only  the  name,  but  also  the 
reality.  A  single  illustration  will  suffice  to  exhibit 
in  a  strong  light  the  widespread  dominion  of  the 
Catholic  Church  and  her  just  claims  to  the  title  of 
Catholic.  Take  the  Ecumenical  Council  of  the  Vat- 
ican, opened  in  1869  and  presided  over  by  Pope 
Pius  IX.  Of  the  thousand  Bishops  and  upwards 
now  comprising  the  hierarchy  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  nearly  eight  hundred  attended  the  open- 
ing session,  the  rest  being  unavoidably  absent.  All 
parts  of  the  habitable  globe  were  represented  at 
the  Council. 

The  Bishops  assembled  from  Great  Britain,  Ire- 
land, France,  Germany,  Switzerland  and  from  al- 
most every  nation  and  principality  in  Europe. 
They  met  from  Canada,  the  United  States,  Mexico 
and  South  America,  and  from  the  islands  of  the 
Atlantic  and  the  Pacific.  They  were  gathered  to- 
gether from  different  parts  of  Africa  and  Ocean- 
ica.  They  went  from  the  banks  of  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates,  the  cradle  of  the  human  race,  and  from 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  the  cradle  of  Christianity. 
They  traveled  to  Rome  from  Mossul,  built  near 
ancient  Nineveh,  and  from  Bagdad,  founded  on 
the  ruins  of  Babylon.  They  flocked  from  Damas- 
cus and  Mount  Libanus  and  from  the  Holy  Land, 
sanctified  by  the  footprints  of  our  blessed  Re- 
deemer. 

Those  Bishops  belonged  to  every  form  of  gOF 

*St  Aug.  de  Ver.  Rel„  c.  7.  n.  12. 


CATHOLICITY  35 

eminent,  from  the  republic  to  the  most  absolute 
monarchy.^  Their  faces  were  marked  by  almost 
every  shade  and  color  that  distinguished  the  hu- 
man family.  They  spoke  every  civilized  language 
under  the  sun.  Kneeling  together  in  the  same 
great  Council-Hall,  truly  could  those  Prelates  ex- 
claim, in  the  language  of  the  Apocalypse:  *'Thou 
hast  redeemed  us,  O  Lord,  to  God  in  Thy  blood, 
out  of  every  tribe,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and 
nation.  - 

What  the  Catholic  Church  lost  by  the  religious 
revolution  of  the  sixteenth  century  in  the  old 
world  she  has  more  than  regained  by  the  immense 
accessions  to  her  ranks  in  the  East  and  West 
Indies,  in  North  and  South  America. 

Never,  in  her  long  history,  was  she  numerically 
so  strong  as  she  is  at  the  present  moment,  when  her 
chijdren  amount  to  about  three  hundred  millions, 
or  double  the  number  of  those  who  bear  the  name 
of  Christians  outside  of  her  communion. 

In  her  alone  is  literally  fulfilled  the  magnificent 
prophecy  of  Malachy;  for  in  every  clime,  and  in 
every  nation  under  the  sun,  are  erected  thousands 
of  Catholic  altars  upon  which  the  "clean  obla- 
tion" ^  is  daily  offered  up  to  the  Most  High. 

It  is  said,  with  truth,  that  the  sun  never  sets  on 
British  dominions.  It  may  also  be  affirmed,  with 
equal  assurance,  that  wherever  the  British  drum- 
beat sounds,  aye,  and  wherever  the  English  lan- 
guage is  spoken,  there  you  will  find  the  English- 
speaking  Catholic  Missionary  planting  the  cross—" 

*Does  not  this  fact  conclusively  demonstrate  the  truth  that 
the  Catholic  Church  can  subsist  under  every  form  of  govern- 
ment? And  is  it  not  an  eloquent  refutation  of  the  oft-repeated 
calumny  that  a  republic  is  not  a  favorable  soil  for  her  develop- 
ment? 

*Apoc.  V,  9i-  'Malachy  i.  11. 


36  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

the  symbol  of  salvation — side  by  side  witb  the 
banner  of  St.  George. 

Quite  recently  a  number  of  European  emigrants 
arrived  in  Richmond.  They  were  strangers  to  our 
country,  to  our  customs  and  to  our  language. 
Every  object  that  met  their  eye  sadly  reminded 
them  that  they  were  far  from  their  own  sunny 
Italy.  But  when  they  saw  the  cross  surmounting 
our  Cathedral  they  hastened  to  it  with  a  joyful 
step.  I  saw  and  heard  a  group  of  them  giving 
earnest  expression  to  their  deep  emotions.  Enter- 
ing this  sacred  temple,  they  felt  that  they  had 
found  an  oasis  in  the  desert.  Once  more  they  were 
at  home.  They  found  one  familiar  spot  in  a 
strange  land.  They  stood  in  the  church  of  their 
fathers,  in  the  home  of  their  childhood;  and  they 
seemed  to  say  in  their  hearts,  as  a  tear  trickled 
down  their  sun-burnt  cheeks,  "How  lovely  are 
thy  tabernacles,  0  Lord  of  Hosts !  My  soul  long- 
eth  and  fainteth  for  the  courts  of  the  Lord.  My 
heart  and  my  flesh  have  rejoiced  in  the  living 
God. ' '  ^  They  saw  around  them  the  paintings  of 
familiar  Saints  whom  they  had  been  accustomed 
to  reverence  from  their  youth.  They  saw  the 
baptismal  font  and  the  confessionals.  They  be- 
held the  altar  and  the  altar-rails  where  they  re- 
ceived their  Maker.  They  observed  the  Priest 
at  the  altar  in  his  sacred  vestments.  They  saw 
a  multitude  of  worshipers  kneeling  around  them, 
and  they  felt  in  their  heart  of  hearts  that  they 
were  once  more  among  brothers  and  sisters,  with 
whom  they  had  *'one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  bap- 
tism, one  God  and  Father  of  all." 

Everywhere  a  Catholic  is  at  home.  Secret  socie- 
ties, of  whatever  name,  form  but  a  weak  and 
counterfeit  bond    of    union    compared  with  the 

*Ps.  Ixxxiii. 


CATHOLICITY  37 

genuine  fellowship  created  by  Catholic  faith,  hope 
and  charity. 

The  Eoman  Catholic  Church,  then,  exclusively 
merits  the  title  of  Catholic,  because  her  children 
abound  in  every  part  of  the  globe  and  comprise 
the  vast  majority  of  the  Christian  family. 

God  forbid  that  I  should  write  these  lines,  or 
that  mj  Catholic  readers  should  peruse  them  in  a 
iDoasting'  and  vaunting  spirit.  God  estimates  men 
not  by  their  numbers,  but  by  their  intrinsic  worth. 
It  is  no  credit  to  us  to  belong  to  the  body  of  the 
Church  Catholic  if  we  are  not  united  to  the  soul  of 
the  Church  by  a  life  of  faith,  hope  and  charity.  ^  It  I 
will  avail  us  nothing  to  be  citizens  of  that  King- 
dom of  Christ  which  encircles  the  globe,  unless  the 
Kingdom  of  God  is  within  us  by  the  reign  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  our  hearts. 

One  righteous  soul  that  reflects  the  beauty  and 
perfections  of  the  Lord,  is  more  precious  in  His 
sight  than  the  mass  of  humanity  that  has  no  spir- 
itual life,  and  is  dead  to  the  inspirations  of  grace. 

The  Patriarch  Abraham  was  dearer  to  Jehovah 
than  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  corrupt  city  of 
Sodom. 

Elias  was  of  greater  worth  before  the  Almighty 
than  the  four  hundred  prophets  of  Baal  who  ate  at 
the  table  of  Jezabel. 

The  Apostles  with  the  little  band  of  disciples 
that  were  assembled  in  Jerusalem  after  our  Lord's 
ascension,  were  more  esteemed  by  Him  than  the 
great  Roman  Empire,  which  was  seated  in  dark- 
ness and  the  shadow  of  death. 

While  we  rejoice,  then,  in  the  inestimable  bless- 
ing of  being  incorporated  in  the  visible  body  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  whose  spiritual  treasures  are 
inexhaustible,  let  us  rejoice  still  more  that  we  have 
i>ot  tT'^cei^"'*:*^  that  blessing  in  vain. 


CHAPTER  V. 

APOSTOLICITY. 

THE  true  Church  must  be  Apostolical.    Hence 
in  the  Creed  framed  in  the  first  Ecumenical 
Council  of  Nicaea,  in  the  year  325,  we  find 
these  words :  ' '  I  believe  in  the  One,  Holy,  Catholic 
and  Apostolic  Church." 

This  attribute  or  note  of  the  Church  implies 
that  the  true  Church  must  always  teach  the  iden- 
tical doctrines  once  delivered  by  the  Apostles,  and 
that  her  ministers  must  derive  their  powers  from 
the  Apostles  by  an  uninterrupted  succession. 

Consequently,  no  church  can  claim  to  be  the  true 
one  whose  doctrines  differ  from  those  of  the  Apos- 
tles, or  whose  ministers  are  unable  to  trace,  by  an 
unbroken  chain,  their  authority  to  an  Apostolic 
source ;  just  as  our  Minister  to  England  can  exer- 
cise no  authority  in  that  country  unless  he  is  duly 
commissioned  by  our  Government  and  represents 
its  views. 

The  Church,  says  St.  Paul,  is  ''built  upon  the 
foundation  of  the  Apostles,"  ^  so  that  the  doc- 
trine which  it  propagates  must  be  based  on  Apos- 
tolic teachings.  Hence  St.  Paul  says  to  the  Gala- 
tians:  "Though  an  angel  from  heaven  preach  a 
Gospel  to  you  beside  that  which  we  have  preached 
to  you,  let  him  be  anathema. ' '  -  The  same  Apos- 
tle gives  this  admonition  to  Timothy :  * '  The  things 

» Eph.  ii.  20.  '  Gal.  i.  8. 

38 


APOSTOLICITY  35 

which  thou  hast  heard  from  me  before  many  wit- 
nesses the  same  commend  to  faithful  men  who 
shall  be  fit  to  teach  others  also."  ^  Timothy  must 
transmit  to  his  disciples  only  such  doctrines  as 
he  heard  from  the  lips  of  his  Master. 

Not  only  is  it  required  that  ministers  of  the 
Gospel  should  conform  their  teaching  to  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Apostles,  but  also  that  these  ministers 
should  be  ordained  and  commissioned  by  the 
Apostles  or  their  legitimate  successors.  "Neither 
doth  any  man,"  says  the  Apostle,  "take  the  honor 
to  himself,  but  he  that  is  called  by  God,  as  Aaron 
was."  2  This  text  evidently  condemns  all  self- 
constituted  preachers  and  reformers;  for,  "how 
shall  they  preach,  unless  they  be  sent?"^  Sent, 
of  course,  by  legitimate  authority,  and  not  di- 
rected by  their  own  caprice.  Hence,  we  find  that 
those  who  succeeded  the  Apostles  were  ordained 
and  commissioned  by  them  to  preach,  and  that  no 
others  were  permitted  to  exercise  this  function. 
Thus  we  are  told  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  "had 
ordained  for  them  priests  in  every  church."* 
And  the  Apostle  says  to  Titus:  "For  this  cause 
I  left  thee  in  Crete,  ....  that  thou  shouldst  or- 
dain Priests  in  every  city,  as  I  also  appointed 
thee. ' '  ^  Even  St.  Paul  himself,  though  miracu- 
lously called  and  instructed  by  God,  had  hands 
imposed  on  him,^  lest  others  should  be  tempted 
by  his  example  to  preach  without  Apostolic  war- 
rant. 

To  discover,  therefore,  the  Church  of  Christ 
among  the  various  conflicting  claimants  we  have 
to  inquire,  first,  which  church  teaches  whole  and 
entire  those  doctrines  that  were  taught  by  the 
Apostles;  second,  what  ministers  can  trace  back, 

'  II.  Tim.  il.  2.  » Ileb.  v.  4.  » Rom.  x.  15. 

Actsxiv.  22,  "Tit.  i.  5.  'Acts  xiii.  2,  3. 


40 


THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 


in  an  unbroken  line,  their  missionary  powers  to 
the  Apostles. 

The  Catholic  Church  alone  teaches  doctrines 
which  are  in  all  respects  identical  with  those  of 
the  first  teachers  of  the  Gospel.  The  following 
parallel  lines  exhibit  some  examples  of  the  de- 
parture of  the  Protestant  bodies  from  the  primi- 
tive teacliings  of  Christianity,  and  the  faithful  ad- 
hesion of  the  Catholic  Church  to  them. 


Apostolic  Church. 


1.  Our  Savior  gives 
pre-eminence  to  Peter 
over  the  other  Apos- 
tles: "I  will  give  to 
thee  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  ^ 
"Confirm  thy  breth- 
ren."=  "Feed  My  lambs; 
feed  My  sheep."  ^ 


2.  The  Apostolic 
Church  claimed  to  be 
infallible  in  her  teach- 
ings. Hence  the  Apos- 
tles spoke  vv'ith  unerr- 
ing authority,  and  their 
words  were  received 
not  as  human  opinions, 
but  as  Divine  truths. 
'When  you  have  receiv- 
ed from  us  the  word  of 
God,  you  received  it 
not  as  the  word  of  men, 
but  (as  it  is  indeed) 
the  M'ord  of  God."  * 
"It  hath  seemsd  good 
to  the  Holy  Gho.st  and 
to  us,"  say  the  as- 
sembled Apostles,  "to 
lay  no  further  burden 
upon  you  than  these 
necessary  things."  = 

"Though  an  angel 
from  heaven  preach  a 
gosjtel  to  you  besides 
that  which  we  have 
Dreached  to  you,  let 
Mm  be  anathema."  ' 


Catholic  Church. 


The  Catholic  Church 
gives  the  primacy  of 
honor  and  jurisdiction 
to  Peter  and  to  his 
successors. 


The  Catholic  Church 
alone,  of  ail  the  Chris- 
tian communions, 
claims  to  exercise  the 
prerogative  of  infalli- 
bility in  her  teaching. 
Her  ministers  always 
speak  from  the  pulpit 
as  having  authority, 
and  the  faithful  re- 
ceive with  implicit 
confidence  what  the 
Church  teaches,  with- 
out once  questioning 
her  veracity. 


Protestant  Churches. 


All  other  Christian 
communions  practi- 
cally deny  Peter's  su- 
premacy over  the  other 
Apostles. 


AH  the  Protestant 
churches  repudiate  the 
claim  of  infalliliility. 
They  deny  that  such 
a  gift  is  possessed  by 
^^y  teachers  of  relig- 
ion. The  ministers 
pronounce  no  authori- 
tative doctrines,  but 
advance  opinions  as 
embodying  their  pri- 
vate interpretation  of 
the  Scripture.  And 
their  hearers  are  never 
required  to  believe 
them,  but  are  expect- 
ed to  draw  their  own 
conclusions  from  the 
Bible. 


»Matt.  svi.  18. 
*Thess.  li.  13. 


2  Luke  xxli.  32. 
s  Acts  XV.  28. 


*  ,Iohn  xxi.  15. 

•  "^al.  i.  8. 


APOSTOLICITY 


41 


Apostolic  Church. 


Catholic  Church. 


Protestant  Churches, 


3.  Our  Savior  en- 
joins and  prescribes 
rules  for  fasting  : 
"When  thou  fastest, 
anoint  thy  head  and 
wash  thy  face,  that 
thou  appear  not  to  men 
to  fast . . .  and  tliy  Fa- 
ther, who  seeth  in  se- 
cret, will  repay  thee."  ^ 

The  Apostles  fasted 
before  engaging  in  sa- 
cred functions:  '"They 
ministered  to  the  Lord, 
pad  fasted."-  "And 
when  they  ordained 
Priests  in  every  city, 
they  prayed  with  fast- 
ing." 3 


4.  "Let  women,"  says 
the  Apostle,  "keep  si- 
lence in  the  churches. 
For,  it  is  not  permitted 
them  to  speak.  . .  It  is 
a  shame  for  a  woman  to 
speak  in  the  church."  * 


5.  St.  Peter  and  St. 
John  confirmed  the 
newly  baptized  in  Sa- 
maria :  "T  h  e  y  1  a  i  d 
hands  on  them  and 
they  received  the  Holy 
Ghost."  6 


6.  Our  Savior  and 
His  Apostles  taught 
that  the  Eucharist  con- 
tains the  Bodv  and 
Blood  of  Christ :  "Take 
ye,  and  eat ;  this  is  My 
Body  ....  Drink  ye  all 
of  this,  for  this  is  my 
Blood."  » 

"The  chalice  of  bene- 
diction which  we  bless, 
is  it  not  the  commu- 
nion of  the  Blood  of 
Christ;  and  the  bread 
which  we  break,  is  it 
not  the  participation  of 
the  Body  of  the 
Lord?"' 


The  Church  pre- 
scribes fasiing  to  the 
faithful  at  stated  sea- 
sons, particularly  dur- 
ing Lent. 

A  Catholic  Priest  is 
always  fasting  when 
he  o/Hciates  at  the  al- 
tar. He  breaks  his  fast 
only  after  he  says 
Mass.  When  Bishops 
ordain  Priests  they 
are  always  fasting,  as 
well  as  the  candidates 
for  ordination 


The  Catholic  Church 
never  permits  women 
to  preach  in  the  house 
of  God. 


Every  Catholic  Bish- 
op, as  a  successor  of 
the  Apostles,  likewise 
imposes  hands  on  bap- 
tized persons  in  the 
Sacrament  of  Confir- 
mation, by  which  they 
receive  the  Holy 
Ghost. 


Protestants  have  no 
law  prescribing  fasts, 
though  some  may  fast 
from  private  devotion. 
They  even  try  to  cast 
ridicule  on  fasting  as 
a  work  of  supereroga- 
tion, detracting  from 
the  merits  of  Christ. 

Neither  candidates 
for  ordination,  nor  the 
ministers  who  ordain 
them,  ever  fast  on 
such   occasions. 


Women,  especially  in 
this  country,  publicly 
preach  in  Methodist 
and  other  churches 
with  the  sanction  of 
the  church  elders. 


No  denomination  per- 
forms the  ceremony  of 
imposing  hands  in  this 
country  except  Epis- 
copalians, and  even 
they  do  not  recognize 
Confirmation  as  a  Sac- 
rament. 


The  Catholic  Church! 
teaches,  with  our  Lord  | 
and  His  Apostles,  that! 
the  Eucharist  contains 
renlly  and  indeed  the 
Body  and  Blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  under 
the  appearance  of 
bread  and  wine. 


The  Protestant 
churches  (except,  per- 
haps, a  few  Ritualists) 
condemn  the  docti-ine 
of  the  Real  Presenile 
as  idolatrous  and  say 
that,  in  partaking  of 
the  communion,  we 
receive  only  a  memo- 
rial of  Christ. 


''Xatt.  vi.  17.    *Acts  xiii.  2.     'Acts  xiv.  22. 
•Acts  viii.  17.  'Matt.  xxvi.  26-2». 


♦  T.   Cor.  xiv.  34,  35. 
'  I.  Cor.  X.  16. 


42 


THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 


Apostolic  Church. 


Catholic  Chdrch.       Protestant  Chdrches. 


7.  The  Apostles  ^ye^e 
empowered  by  our  Sa- 
vior to  forgive  sins: — 
"Whose  sins  ye  shall 
forgive,  they  are  for- 
given." ^ 

"God,"  says  St.  Paul, 
■^hath  given  to  us  the 
ministry  of  reconcilia- 
tion." » 


I  The  Bishops  and 
Priests  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  as  the  inherit- 
ors of  Apostolic  prer- 
ogatives, profess  to 
exercise  the  ministry 
of  reconciliation,  and 
to  forgive  sins  in  the 
name  of  Christ. 


8.  Regarding  the  sick, 
St.  James  gives  this 
instruction:  "Is  any 
man  sick  among  you, 
let  him  bring  in  the 
priests  of  the  Church, 
and  let  them  pray  over 
him,  anointing  him 
with  oil  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord."^ 


9.  Of  marriage  our 
Savior  says:  "Who- 
ever shall  put  away 
his  wife  and  marry  an- 
other committeth  adul- 
tery against  her.  And 
if  the  wife  shall  put 
away  her  husband  and 
be  married  to  another 
she  committeth  adul- 
tery." * 

And  again  St.  Paul 
says:  "To  them  that 
are  married  .  .  .  the 
Lord  commandeth  that 
the  wife  depart  not 
from  her  husband,  and 
If  she  depart  that  she 
remain  unmarried  .  .  . 
And  let  not  the  hus- 
band put  away  his 
wife."  ' 


One  of  the  most  or- 
dinary duties  of  a 
Catholic  Priest  is  to 
anoint  the  sick  in  the 
Sacrament  of  Extreme 
Unction.  If  a  man  is 
sick  among  us  he  is 
careful  to  call  in  the 
Priest  of  the  Church, 
that  he  may  anoint 
him  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord. 


Protestants  aflBrm, 
on  the  contrary,  that 
God  delegates  to  no 
man  the  power  of  par- 
doning sin. 


No  such  ceremony  as 
that  of  anointing  the 
sick  is  practised  by 
any  Protestant  denom- 
ination, notwithstand- 
ing the  Apostle's  In- 
junction. 


Literally  following 
the  Apostle's  injunc- 
tion, the  Catholic 
Church  forbids  the 
husband  and  wife  to 
separate  from  one  an- 
other; or,  if  they  sep- 
arate, neither  of  them 
can  marry  again  dur- 
ing the  life  of  the 
other. 


10.  Our  Lord  recom- 
mends not  only  by 
word,  but  by  His  ex- 
ample, to  souls  aiming 
at  perfection,  the  state 


Like  the  Apostle  and 
his  Master,  the  Catho- 
lic clergy  bind  them- 
selves to  a  life  of  per- 
petual   chastity.      The 


The  Protestant 
churches,  as  is  well 
known,  have  so  far 
relaxed  this  rigorous 
law  of  the  Gospel  a» 
to  allow  divorced  per- 
sons to  remarry. 

And  divorce  a  vin- 
culo is  granted  on  va- 
rious and  even  trifling 
pretenses. 


All  the  ministers  of 
other  denookinations, 
with  very  rare  excep- 
tions, marry.  And  far 
from    inculcating    tha 


»John  XX.  28. 
•Mark  x.  11,  12. 


2  II.  Cor.  V.  18. 

5  I.  Cor.  vii,  10,  11. 


'  James  v.  14. 


APOSTOLICITY 


43 


Apostolic  Church. 


Catholic  Chuech. 


Peotestant  Chdrchkb. 


»f  perpetual  virginity. 
St.  Paul  also  exhorts 
the  Corinthians  by 
rounsel  and  his  own 
example  to  the  same 
angelic  virtue:  "fie  that 
griveth  his  virgin  in 
marriage,"  he  says, 
"doeth  well.  And  he 
that  giveth  her  not 
doeth  better."  ^ 


Inmates  of  our  con- 
vents of  men  and  wo- 
men voluntarily  con- 
secrate their  virginity 
to  God. 


Apostolic  counsel  of 
celibacy  to  any  of 
their  flock,  they  more 
than  insinuate  that 
the  virtue  of  perpetual 
chastity,  though  rec- 
ommended by  St.  Paul, 
is  impracticable 


We  now  leave  the  reader  to  judge  for  himself 
which  Church  enforces  the  doctrines  of  the  Apos- 
tles in  all  their  pristine  vigor. 

To  show  that  the  Catholic  Church  is  the  only 
lineal  descendant  of  the  Apostles  it  is  sufficient  to 
demonstrate  that  she  alone  can  trace  her  pedi- 
gree, generation  after  generation,  to  the  Apostles, 
while  the  origin  of  all  other  Christian  communi- 
ties can  be  referred  to  a  comparatively  modern 
date. 

The  most  influential  Christian  sects  existing  in 
this  country  at  the  present  time  are  the  Lutherans, 
Episcopalians,  Methodists,  Presbyterians  and 
Baptists.  The  other  Protestant  denominations 
are  comparatively  insignificant  in  point  of  num- 
bers, and  are  for  the  most  part  offshoots  from  the 
Christian  communities  just  named. 

Martin  Luther,  a  Saxon  monk,  was  the  founder 
of  the  church  which  bears  his  name.  He  was 
born  at  Eisleben,  in  Saxony,  in  1483,  and  died 
in  1546. 

The  Anglican  or  Episcopal  Church  owes  its 
origin  to  Henry  VIII.  of  England.  The  imme- 
diate cause  of  his  renunciation  of  the  Roman 
Church  was  the  refusal  of  Pope  Clement  VIL  to 
grant  him  a  divorce  from  his  lawful  wife,  Cath- 

*I.  Cor.  vii. 


44  THE  FAITH  OP  OUR  FATHERS 

arine  of  Aragon,  that  he  might  be  free  to  be  joined 
in  wedlock  to  Anne  Boleyn.  In  order  to  legalize 
his  divorce  f^'om  his  virtuous  queen  the  licentious 
monarch  divorced  himself  and  his  kingdom  froni 
the  spiritual  supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

"There  is  a  close  relationship,"  says  D'Au- 
bigne,  "between  these  two  divorces,"  meaning 
Henry's  divorce  from  his  wife  and  England's  di- 
vorce from  the  Church.  Yes,  there  is  the  rela- 
tionship of  cause  and  effect. 

Bishop  Short,  an  Anglican  historian,  candidly 
admits  that  "the  existence  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land as  a  distinct  body,  and  her  final  separation 
from  Kome,  may  he  dated  from  the  period  of  the 
divorce. ' '  ^ 

The  Book  of  Homilies,  in  the  language  of  ful- 
some praise,  calls  Henry  "the  true  and  faithful 
minister,"  and  gives  him  the  credit  for  having 
abolished  in  England  the  Papal  supremacy  and 
established  the  new  order  of  things.- 

John  Wesley  is  the  acknowledged  founder  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  Methodism  dates  from  the 
year  1729,  and  its  cradle  was  the  Oxford  Univer- 
sity in  England.  John  and  Charles  Wesley  were 
students  at  Oxford.  They  gathered  around  them 
a  number  of  young  men  who  devoted  themselves 
to  the  frequent  reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
and  to  prayer.  Their  methodical  and  exact  mode 
of  life  obtained  for  them  the  name  of  Methodists. 
The  Methodist  Church  in  this  country  is  the  off- 
spring of  a  colony  sent  hither  from  England. 

As  it  would  be  tedious  to  give  even  a  succinct 
history  of  each  sect,  I  shall  content  myself  with 
presenting   a    tabular    statement    exhibiting    the 

*  History  of  the  Church  of  England,  by  Thomas  ^,  Short, 
Bishop  of  St.  Asaph's,  p.  44. 

*  Book  of  Homilies. 


APOSTOLICITY  45 

name  and  founder  of  each  denomination,  the  place 
and  date  of  its  origin,  and  the  names  of  the  au- 
thors from  whom  I  quote.  My  authorities  in  every 
instance  are  Protestants. 


46 


THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 


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APOSTOLTCITY  47 

From  this  brief  historical  tableau  we  find  that 
all  the  Christian  sects  now  existing  in  the  United 
States  had  their  origin  since  the  year  1500.  Con- 
sequently, the  oldest  body  of  Christians  among  us, 
outside  the  Catholic  Church,  is  not  yet  four  cen- 
turies  old.  They  all,  therefore,  come  fifteen  cen- 
turies too  late  to  have  any  pretensions  to  be  called 
the  Apostolic  Church. 

But  I  may  be  told :  ' '  Though  our  public  history 
as  Protestants  dates  from  the  Eeformation,  we 
can  trace  our  origin  back  to  the  Apostles. ' '  This 
I  say  is  impossible.  First  of  all,  the  very  name 
you  bear  betrays  your  recent  birth;  for  who  ever 
heard  of  a  Baptist  or  an  Episcopal,  or  any  other 
Protestant  church,  prior  to  the  Eeformation? 
Nor  can  you  say:  *'We  existed  in  every  age  as 
an  invisible  church."  Your  concealment,  indeed, 
was  so  complete  that  no  man  can  tell,  to  this 
day,  where  you  lay  hid  for  sixteen  centuries.  But 
even  if  you  did  exist  you  could  not  claim  to  be 
the  Church  of  Christ ;  for  our  Lord  predicted  that 
His  Church  should  ever  be  as  a  city  placed  upon 
the  mountain  top,  that  all  might  see  it,  and  that 
its  ministers  should  preach  the  truths  of  salva- 
tion from  the  watch-towers  thereof,  that  all  might 
hear  them. 

It  is  equally  in  vain  to  tell  me  that  you  were 
allied  in  faith  to  the  various  Christian  sects  that 
went  out  from  the  Catholic  Church  from  age  to 
age;  for  these  sects  proclaimed  doctrines  diamet- 
rically opposed  to  one  another,  and  the  true 
Church  must  be  one  in  faith.  And  besides,  the 
less  relationship  you  claim  with  many  of  these 
seceders  the  better  for  you,  as  they  all  advocated 
errors  against  Christian  truth,  and  some  of  them 
disseminated  principles  at  variance  with  decency 
and  morality. 


48  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

The  Catholic  Church,  on  the  contrary,  can  easily 
vindicate  the  title  of  Apostolic,  because  she  de- 
rives her  origin  from  the  Apostles.  Every  Priest 
and  Bishop  can  trace  his  genealogy  to  the  first  dis- 
ciples of  Christ  with  as  much  facility  as  the  most 
remote  branch  of  a  vine  can  be  traced  to  the  main 
stem. 

All  the  Catholic  Clergy  in  the  United  States, 
for  instance,  were  ordained  only  by  Bishops  who 
are  in  active  communion  with  the  See  of  Eome. 
These  Bishops  themselves  received  their  commis- 
sions from  the  Bishop  of  Kome.  The  present 
Bishop  of  Rome,  Pius  IX.,  is  the  successor  of 
Gregory  XVI.,  who  succeeded  Pius  VIII.,  who 
was  the  successor  of  Leo  XII.  And  thus  we  go 
back  from  century  to  century  till  we  come  to  Peter, 
the  first  Bishop  of  Rome,  Prince  of  the  Apostles 
and  Vicar  of  Christ.  Like  the  Evangelist  Luke, 
who  traces  the  genealogy  of  our  Savior  back  to 
Adam  and  to  God,  we  can  trace  the  pedigree  of 
Pius  IX.  to  Peter  and  to  Christ.  There  is  not  a 
link  wanting  in  the  chain  which  binds  the  humblest 
Priest  in  the  land  to  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles. 
And  although  on  a  few  occasions  there  happened 
to  be  two  or  even  three  claimants  for  the  chair 
of  Peter,  these  counter-claims  could  no  more  af- 
fect the  validity  of  the  legitimate  Pope  than  the 
struggle  of  two  contestants  for  the  Presidency 
could  invalidate  the  title  of  the  recognized  Chief 
Magistrate. 

It  was  by  pursuing  this  line  of  argument  that 
the  early  Fathers  demonstrated  the  Apostolicity 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  refuted  the  preten- 
sions of  contemporary  sectaries.  St.  Irenseus, 
Tertullian  and  St.  Augustine  give  catalogues  of 
the  Bishops  of  Rome  who  flourished  up  to  their 
respective  times,  with  whom  it  was  their  happi- 


APOSTOLICITY  49 

ness  to  be  in  communion,  and  then  they  challenged 
their  opponents  to  trace  their  lineage  to  the  Apos- 
tolic See.  ''Let  them,"  says  Tertullian,  in  the 
second  century,  "produce  the  origin  of  their 
church.  Let  them  exhibit  the  succession  of  their 
Bishops,  so  that  the  first  of  them  may  appear  to 
have  been  ordained  by  an  Apostle,  or  by  an  apos- 
tolic man  ivlio  tvas  in  communion  with  the  Apos- 
tles."' 

And  if  the  Fathers  of  the  fifth  century  con- 
sidered it  a  powerful  argument  in  their  favor  that 
they  could  refer  to  an  uninterrupted  line  of  fifty 
Bishops  who  occupied  the  See  of  Rome,  how  much 
stronger  is  the  argument  to  us  who  can  now  ex- 
hibit five  times  that  number  of  Roman  Pontiffs 
who  have  sat  in  the  chair  of  Peter!  I  would  af- 
fectionately repeat  to  my  separated  brethren  what 
Augustine  said  to  the  Donatists  of  his  time: 
''Come  to  us,  brethren  if  you  wish  to  be  engrafted 
in  the  vine.  We  are  afflicted  in  beholding  you 
lying  cut  otf  from  it.  Count  over  the  Bishops 
from  the  very  See  of  St.  Peter,  and  mark,  in  this 
list  of  Fathers,  how  one  succeeded  the  other. 
This  is  the  rock  against  which  the  proud  gates  of 
hell  do  not  prevail. ' '  ^ 


*Ltb.  de  Prsescrip.,  c.  32.  *Psal.  contra  part  Donate 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PERPETUITY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

PERPETUITY,  or  duration  till  the  end  of 
time,  is  one  of  the  most  striking  marks  of 
the  Church.  By  perpetuity  is  not  meant 
merely  that  Christianity  in  one  form  or  another 
was  always  to  exist,  but  that  the  Church  was  to 
remain  forever  in  its  integrity,  clothed  with  all 
those  attributes  which  God  gave  it  in  the  begin- 
ning. For,  if  the  Church  lost  any  of  her  essen- 
tial characteristics,  such  as  her  unity  and  sanc- 
tity, which  our  Lord  imparted  to  her  at  the  com- 
mencement of  her  existence,  she  could  not  be  said 
to  be  perpetual  because  she  would  not  be  the  same 
Institution. 

The  unceasing  duration  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
is  frequently  foretold  in  Sacred  Scripture.  The 
Angel  Gabriel  announces  to  Mary  that  Christ 
**  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever, 
and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end."  ^  Our 
Savior  said  to  Peter :  ' '  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church,  and  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  -  Our  blessed 
Lord  clearly  intimates  here  that  the  Church  is 
destined  to  be  assailed  always,  but  to  be  over- 
come, never. 

In  the  last  words  recorded  of  our  Redeemer  in 
the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  the  same  prediction  is 
» Luke  i.  32,  3?  *  Matt.  xvi.  18. 

50 


PERPETUITY  51 

strongly  repeated,  and  the  reason  of  the  Church's 
indefeetibility  is  fully  expressed:  "Go  ye,  teach 
all  nations,  ....  and  behold  I  am  with  you  all 
days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world."  ^ 
This  sentence  contains  three  important  declara- 
tions: First — The  presence  of  Christ  with  His 
Church — * '  Behold,  I  am  with  you. ' '  Second — His 
constant  presence,  without  an  interval  of  one 
day's  absence — "I  am  with  you  all  days."  Third — 
His  perpetual  presence  to  the  end  of  the  world, 
and  consequently  the  perpetual  duration  of  the 
Church — "Even  to  the  consunamation  of  the 
world." 

Hence  it  follows  that  the  true  Church  must 
have  existed  from  the  beginning;  it  must  have 
had  not  one  day's  interval  of  suspended  anima- 
tion, or  separation  from  Christ,  and  must  live 
to  the  end  of  time. 

None  of  the  Christian  Communions  outside  the 
Catholic  Church  can  have  any  reasonable  claim 
to  Perpetuity,  since,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  they  are  all  -  of  recent  origin. 

The  indestructibility  of  the  Catholic  Church  is 
truly  marvellous  and  well  calculated  to  excite  the 
admiration  of  every  reflecting  mind,  when  we  con- 
sider the  number  and  variety,  and  the  formidable 
power  of  the  enemies  with  whom  she  had  to  con- 
tend from  her  very  birth  to  the  present  time  j^ this 
fact  alone  stamps  divinity  on  her  brow. 

The  Church  has  been  constantly  engaged  in  a 

double  warfare,  one  foreign,  the  other  domestic — 

in  foreign  war  against  Paganism  and  infidelity; 

in  civil  strife  against  heresy  and  schism  fomented 

by  her  own  rebellious  children. 

*Matt.  xxviii.  20. 

'Except  some  Oriental  sects  dating  back  to  the  fifth  and 
ninth  centuries. 


52  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

From  the  day  of  Pentecost  till  the  victory  of 
Constantine  the  Great  over  Maxentiiis,  embracing 
a  period  of  about  two  hundred  and  eighty  years, 
the  Church  underwent  a  series  of  ten  persecu- 
tions unparalleled  for  atrocity  in  the  annals  of 
history.  Every  torture  that  malice  could  invent 
was  resorted  to,  that  every  vestige  of  Christianity 
might  be  eradicated.  ^Christianas  ad  leones," 
the  Christians  to  the  lions,  was  the  popular  war- 
cry. 

They  were  clothed  in  the  skins  of  wild  beasts, 
and  thus  exposed  to  be  devoured  by  dogs.  They 
were  covered  with  pitch  and  set  on  fire  to  serve 
as  lamp-posts  to  the  streets  of  Rome.  To  justify 
such  atrocities,  and  to  smother  all  sentiments  of 
compassion,  these  persecutors  accused  their  in- 
nocent victims  of  the  most  appalling  crimes. 

For  three  centuries  the  Christians  were  obliged 
to  worship  God  in  the  secrecy  of  their  chambers, 
or  in  the  Roman  catacombs,  which  are  still  pre- 
served to  attest  the  undying  fortitude  of  the  mar- 
tyrs and  the  enormity  of  their  sufferings. 

And  yet  Pagan  Rome,  before  whose  standard 
the  mightiest  nations  quailed,  was  unable  to  crush 
the  infant  Church  or  arrest  her  progress.  In  a 
short  time  we  find  this  colossal  Empire  going  to 
pieces,  and  the  Head  of  the  Catholic  Church  dis- 
pensing laws  to  Christendom  in  the  very  city 
from  which  the  imperial  Caesars  had  promulgated 
their  edicts  against  Christianity! 

During  the  fifth  and  sixth  centuries  the  Goths 
and  Vandals,  the  Huns,  Visigoths,  Lombards  and 
other  immense  tribes  of  Barbarians  came  down 
like  a  torrent  from  the  North,  invading  the  fairest 
portions  of  Southern  Europe.  They  dismem- 
bered the  Roman  Empire  and  swept  away  nearly 
every  trace  of  the  old  Roman  civilization.    They 


PERPETUITY  53 

plundered  cities,  leveled  ckurches  and  left  ruin 
and  desolation  after  them.  Yet,  though  conquer- 
ing for  awhile,  they  were  conquered  in  turn  by 
submitting  to  the  sweet  yoke  of  the  Gospel.  And 
thus,  as  even  the  infidel  Gibbon  observes,  *'The 
progress  of  Christianity  has  been  marked  by  two 
glorious  and  decisive  victories  over  the  learned 
and  luxurious  citizens  of  the  Roman  Empire  and 
over  the  warlike  Barbarians  of  Scythia  and  Ger- 
many, who  subverted  the  empire  and  embraced 
the  religion  of  the  Romans. "  ^ 

Mohamedanism  took  its  rise  in  the  seventh 
century  in  Arabia,  and  made  rapid  conquests  in 
Asia.  In  the  fifteenth  century  Constantinople  was 
captured  by  the  followers  of  the  false  prophet,  who 
even  threatened  to  subject  all  Europe  to  their 
sway.  For  nine  centuries  Mohamedanism  con- 
tinued to  be  a  standing  menace  to  Christendom,  till 
the  final  issue  came  when  it  was  to  be  decided  once 
for  all  whether  Christianity  and  civilization  on  the 
one  hand,  or  Mohamedanism  and  infidelity  on  the 
other,  should  rule  the  destinies  of  Europe  and  the 
world. 

At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  Pope,  the  king- 
dom of  Spain  and  the  republic  of  Venice  formed 
an  offensive  league  against  the  Turks,  who  were 
signally  defeated  in  the  battle  of  Lepanto,  in  1571. 
And  if  the  Cross,  instead  of  the  Crescent,  sur- 
mounts the  cities  of  Europe  today,  it  is  indebted 
for  this  priceless  blessing  to  the  vigilance  of  the 
Roman  Pontiffs. 

Another  adversary  more  formidable  and  dan- 
gerous than  those  I  have  mentioned  threatened  the 
overthrow  of  the  Church  in  the  fourth  and  fifth 
centuries.  I  speak  of  the  great  heresy  of  Arius, 
which  was  followed  by  those  of  Nestorius  and 
Eutyches. 

1  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Romaii  Empire,  ch.  xxsvii,  p.  450. 


54  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

The  Arian  schism,  soon  after  its  rise,  spread 
rapidly  through  Europe,  Northern  Africa  and 
portions  of  Asia.  It  received  the  support  of  im- 
mense multitudes,  and  flourished  for  awhile  un- 
der the  fostering  care  of  several  successive  em- 
perors. Catholic  Bishops  were  banished  from 
their  sees,  and  their  places  were  filled  by  Arian 
intruders.  The  Church  which  survived  the  sword 
of  Paganism  seemed  for  awhile  to  yield  to  the 
poison  of  Arianism.  But  after  a  short  career  of 
prosperity  this  gigantic  sect  became  weakened  by 
intestine  divisions,  and  was  finally  swept  away 
by  other  errors  which  came  following  in  its  foot- 
steps. 

You  are  already  familiar  with  the  great  relig- 
ious revolution  of  the  sixteenth  century,  which 
spread  like  a  tornado  over  Northern  Europe  and 
threatened,  if  that  were  possible,  to  engulf  the 
bark  of  Peter.  More  than  half  of  Germany  fol- 
lowed the  new  Gospel  of  Martin  Luther.  Switzer- 
land submitted  to  the  doctrines  of  Zuinglius.  The 
faith  was  lost  in  Sweden  through  the  influence  of 
its  king,  Gustavus  Vasa.  Denmark  conformed  to 
the  new  creed  through  the  intrigues  of  King 
!  Christian  II.  Catholicity  was  also  crushed  out 
I  in  Norway,  England  and  Scotland.  Calvinism  in 
the  sixteenth  century  and  Voltaireism  in  the  eight- 
eenth had  gained  such  a  foothold  in  France  that 
the  faith  of  that  glorious  Catholic  nation  twice 
trembled  in  the  balance.  Ireland  alone,  of  all  the 
nations  of  Northern  Europe,  remained  faithful  to 
the  ancient  Church. 

Let  us  now  calmly  survey  the  field  after  the  din 
and  smoke  of  battle  have  passed  away.  Let  us 
examine  the  condition  of  the  old  Church  after 
having  passed  through  those  deadly  conflicts.  We 
see  her  numerically  stronger  today  than  at  any 


PERPETUITY  55 

previous  period  of  her  history.  The  losses  she 
sustained  in  the  old  world  are  more  than  compen- 
sated by  her  acquisitions  in  the  new.  She  has  aU 
ready  recovered  a  good  portion  of  the  ground 
wrested  from  her  in  the  sixteenth  century.  She 
numbers  now  about  three  hundred  million  adher- 
ents. Slie  exists  today  not  an  effete  institution, 
but  in  all  the  integrity  and  fulness  of  life,  with 
her  organism  unimpaired,  more  united,  more 
compact  and  more  vigorous  than  ever  she  was 
before. 

The  so-called  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury bears  many  points  of  resemblance  to  the  great 
Arian  heresy.  Both  schisms  originated  with 
Priests  impatient  of  the  yoke  of  the  Gospel,  fond 
of  novelty  and  ambitious  "for  notoriety.  Both  were 
nursed  and  sustained  by  the  reigning  Powers,  and 
were  augmented  by  large  accessions  of  proselytes. 
Both  spread  for  awhile  with  the  irresistible  force 
of  a  violent  hurricane,  till  its  fury  was  spent. 
Both  subsequently  became  subdivided  into  vari- 
ous bodies.  The  extinction  of  Protestantism' 
would  complete  the  parallel. 

In  this  connection  a  remark  of  De  Maistre  is 
worth  quoting:  "If  Protestantism  bears  always 
the  same  name,  though  its  belief  has  been  per- 
petually shifting,  it  is  because  its  name  is  purely 
negative  and  means  only  the  denial  of  Catholicity, 
so  that  the  less  it  believes,  and  the  more  it  pro- 
tests, the  more  consistently  Protestant  it  will  be. 
Since,  then,  its  name  becomes  continually  truer, 
it  must  subsist  until  it  perishes,  just  as  an  ulcer 
disappears  with  the  last  atom  of  the  flesh  which 
it  has  been  eating  away. ' '  ^ 

But  similar  causes  will  produce  similar  results. 
As  both  revolutions  were  the  offspring  of  rebel- 

*Du  Pape,  1,  2,  c.  5. 


56  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

lion ;  as  both  have  been  marked  by  the  same  vigor- 
ous youth,  the  same  precocious  manhood,  the  same 
premature  decay  and  dismemberment  of  parts;  so 
we  are  not  rash  in  predicting  that  the  dissolution 
which  long  since  visited  the  former  is  destined, 
sooner  or  later,  to  overtake  the  latter.  But  the 
Catholic  Church,  because  she  is  the  work  of  God, 
is  always ''renewing  her  strength,  like  the  eagle's."^ 
You  ask  for  a  miracle,  as  the  Jews  asked  our  Sav- 
iour for  a  sign.  You  ask  the  Church  to  prove  her 
divine  mission  by  a  miraculous  agency.  Is  not  her 
very  survival  the  greatest  of  prodigies?  If  you 
beheld  some  fair  bride  with  all  the  weakness  of 
humanity  upon  her,  cast  into  a  prison  and  starved 
and  trampled  upon,  hacked  and  tortured,  her  blood 
sprinkled  upon  her  dungeon  walls,  and  if  you  saw 
her  again  emerging  from  her  prison,  in  all  the 
bloom  and  freshness  of  youth,  and  surviving  for 
years  and  centuries  beyond  the  span  of  human  life, 
continuing  to  be  the  joyful  mother  of  children, 
would  you  not  call  that  scene  a  miracle? 

And  is  not  this  a  picture  of  our  Mother  the 
Church?  Has  she  not  passed  through  all  these 
vicissitudes?  Has  she  not  tasted  the  bitterness  of 
prison  in  every  age?  Has  not  her  blood  been  shed 
in  every  clime  ? 

And  yet  in  her  latter  days,  she  is  as  fair  as  ever, 
and  the  nursing  mother  of  children.  Are  not  civil 
governments  and  institutions  mortal  as  well  as 
men?  Why  should  the  Eepublic  of  the  Church  be 
an  exception  to  the  law  of  decay  and  death?  If 
this  is  not  a  miracle,  I  know  not  what  a  miracle  is. 

If  Augustin,  that  profound  Christian  philoso- 
pher, could  employ  this  argument  in  the  fifth  cen- 
tury, with  how  much  more  force  may  it  be  iiR<>d 
today,  fifteen  hundred  years  after  his  time  J 

1  Psalm  cii.  3. 


PEEPETUITY  57 

But  far  be  it  from  iis  to  ascribe  to  any  liuraan 
cause  tliis  marvelous  survival  of  tlie  Church. 

Her  indestructibility  is  not  due,  as  some  suppose, 
to  her  wonderful  organization,  or  to  the  far-reach- 
ing policy  of  her  Pontiffs,  or  to  the  learning  and 
wisdom  of  her  teachers.  If  she  has  survived,  it  is 
not  because  of  human  wisdom,  but  often  in  spite  of 
human  folly.  Her  permanence  is  due  not  to  the 
arm  of  the  flesh,  but  to  the  finger  of  God.  * '  Not  to 
us,  0  Lord,  not  to  us,  but  to  Thy  name  give  glory. ' ' 

I  would  now  ask  this  question  of  all  that  are 
hostile  to  the  Catholic  Church  and  that  are  plot- 
ting her  destruction :  How  can  you  hope  to  over- 
turn an  institution  which  for  more  than  nineteen 
centuries  has  successfully  resisted  all  the  com- 
bined assaults  of  the  world,  of  men,  and  of  the 
powers  of  darkness?  What  means  will  you  em- 
ploy to  encompass  her  ruin? 

I.  Is  it  the  power  of  Kings,  and  Emperors, 
and  Prime  Ministers?  They  have  tried  in  vain 
to  crush  her,  from  the  days  of  the  Roman  Caesars 
to  those  of  the  former  Chancellor  of  Germany. 

Many  persons  labor  under  the  erroneous  im- 
pression that  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe  have 
been  the  unvarying  supporters  of  the  Church,  and 
that  if  their  protection  were  withdrawn  she  would 
soon  collapse.  So  far  from  the  Church  being 
sheltered  behind  earthly  thrones,  her  worst  ene- 
mies have  been,  with  some  honorable  exceptions, 
so-called  Christian  Princes  who  were  nominal  chil- 
dren of  the  Church.  They  chafed  under  her  salu- 
tary discipline ;  they  wished  to  be  rid  of  her  yoke, 
because  she  alone,  in  time  of  oppression,  had  the 
power  and  the  courage  to  stand  by  the  rights  of 
the  people,  and  place  her  breast  as  a  wall  of 
brass  against  the  encroachments  of  their  rulers. 
With  calm  confidence  we  can  say  with  the  Psalm- 


r>8  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  rATHET?,S 

ist:  ''Why  have  the  Gentiles  raged,  and  the  peo- 
ple devised  vain  things?  The  kings  ol'  the  earth 
stood  up,  and  the  princes  met  together,  against 
the  Lord,  and  against  his  Christ.  Let  us  break 
their  bonds  asunder,  and  let  us  cast  away  their 
yoke  from  us. 

"He  that  dwelleth  in  heaven  shall  laugh  at  them 
and  the  Lord  shall  deride  them."  ^ 

IL  Can  the  immense  resources  and  organized 
power  of  rival  religious  bodies  succeed  in  absorb- 
ing her  and  in  bringing  her  to  naught !  I  am  not 
disposed  to  undervalue  this  power.  Against  any 
human  force  it  would  be  irresistible.  But  if  the 
colossal  strength,  and  incomparable  machinery  of 
the  Roman  Empire  could  not  prevent  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Church;  if  Arianism,  Nestorian- 
ism,  Eutychianism  could  not  check  her  develop- 
ment, how  can  modern  organizations  stop  her 
progress  now,  when  in  the  fulness  of  her 
strength  f 

It  is  easier  to  preserve  what  is  created,  than 
to  create  anew. 

in.  But  we  have  been  told:  ''Take  from  the 
Pope  his  Temporal  power  and  the  Church  is 
doomed  to  destruction.  This  is  the  secret  of  her 
strength;  strip  her  of  this,  and,  like  Samson  shorn 
of  his  hair,  she  will  betray  all  the  weakness  of 
a  poor  mortal.  Then  this  brilliant  luminary  will 
wax  pale  and  she  will  sink  below  the  horizon, 
never  more  to  rise  again," 

For  more  than  seven  centuries  after  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  Church  the  Popes  had  no  sov- 
ereign territorial  jurisdiction.  How  could  she 
have  outlived  that  period,  if  the  temporal  power 
were  essential  to  her  perpetuity?  And  even  since 
1870  the  Pope  has  been  deprived  of  his  temporali- 
1  Psalm  ii.  1-4. 


PEEPETUITY  59 

ties.  This  loss,  however,  does  not  bring  a  wrinkle 
on  the  fair  brow  of  the  Church,  nor  does  it  retard 
one  inch  her  onward  march. 

IV.  Is  she  unable  to  cope  with  modern  inven- 
tions and  the  mechanical  progress  of  the  nine- 
teenth century?  We  are  often  told  so;  but  far 
from  hiding  our  head,  like  the  ostrich  in  the 
sand,  at  the  approach  of  these  inventions  we  hail 
Ihem  as  messengers  of  God,  and  will  use  them  as 
Providential  instruments  for  the  further  propa- 
gation of  the  faith. 

If  we  succeeded  so  well  before,  when  we  had  no 
ships  but  frail  canoes,  no  compass  but  our  eyes; 
when  we  had  no  roads  but  eternal  snows,  virgin 
forests  and  trackless  deserts;  when  we  had  no 
guide  save  faith,  and  hope,  and  God — if  even  then 
we  succeeded  so  well  in  carrying  the  Gospel  to 
the  confines  of  the  earth,  how  much  more  can  we 
do  now  by  the  aid  of  telegraph,  steamships  and 
railroads'? 

Yes,  0  men  of  genius,  we  bless  your  inventions ; 
we  bless  you,  ye  modern  discoveries;  and  we  will 
impress  you  into  the  service  of  the  Church  and 
say:  ''Fire  and  heat  bless  the  Lord.  Lightnings 
and  clouds  bless  the  Lord;  all  ye  works  of  the 
Lord  bless  the  Lord;  praise  and  exalt  him  above 
all  forever."^ 

The  utility  of  modern  inventions  to  the  Church 
has  lately  been  manifested  in  a  conspicuous  man- 
ner. Tlie  Pope  called  a  council  of  all  the  Bishops 
of  the  world.  Without  the  aid  of  steam  it  would 
have  been  almost  impossible  for  them  to  assem- 
ble; by  its  aid  they  were  able  to  meet  from  the 
uttermost  bounds  of  the  earth. 

V.  But  may  not  the  light  of  the  Church  grow 
paJe  and  be  extinguished  before  the  intellectual 

i  Daniel,  iii. 


60  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

blaze  of  the  nineteenth  century?  Has  she  not 
much  to  fear  from  literature,  the  arts  and 
sciences?  She  has  always  been  the  Patroness 
of  literature,  and  the  fostering  Mother  of  the 
arts  and  sciences.  She  founded  and  endowed 
nearly  all  the  great  universities  of  Europe. 

Not  to  mention  those  of  the  continent,  a  bare 
catalogue  of  which  would  cover  a  large  space,  I 
may  allude  to  the  Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge, the  two  most  famous  seats  of  learning  in' 
England,  which  were  established  under  Catholic 
auspices  centuries  before  the  Eeformation. 

The  Church  also  founded  three  of  the  four  uni- 
versities now  existing  in  Scotland,  viz:  St.  An- 
drew's in  1411,  Glasgow  in  1450  and  Aberdeen  in 
1494. 

Without  her  we  should  be  deprived  to-daj?"  of 
the  priceless  treasures  of  ancient  literature;  for, 
in  preserving  the  languages  of  Greece  and  Eome 
from  destruction,  she  rescued  classical  writers  of 
those  countries  from  oblivion.  Hallam  justly  ob- 
serves that,  were  it  not  for  the  diligent  labors 
of  the  monks  in  the  Middle  Ages,  our  knowledge 
of  the  history  of  ancient  Greece  and  Eome  would 
be  as  vague  today  as  our  information  regarding 
the  Pyramids  of  Egypt. 

And  as  for  works  of  art,  there  are  more  valu- 
able monuments  of  art  contained  in  the  single 
museum  of  the  Vatican  than  are  to  be  found  in 
all  our  country.  Artists  are  obliged  to  go  to 
Eome  to  consult  their  best  models.  Our  churches 
are  not  only  temples  of  worship,  but  depositories 
of  sacred  art.  For  our  intellectual  progress  we 
are  in  no  small  measure  indebted  to  the  much- 
abused  Middle  Ages.  Tyudail  has  the  candor  to 
observe  that  "The  nineteenth  century  strikes  its 
roots  into  the  centuries  gone  by  and  draws  nutri- 
ment from  them. ' '  ^ 

iTyndall.  Study  of  Physics. 


PERPETUITY  Gl 

VI.  Is  it  liberty  that  will  destroy  tlie  CIj^'cLi? 
The  Church  breathes  freeh^  aud  expands  with 
giant  gi'owth,  where  true  liberty  is  found.  She  is 
always  cramped  in  her  operations  wherever  des- 
potism casts  its  dark  shadow.  Nowhere  does  she 
enjoy  more  independence  than  here;  nowhere  is 
she  more  vigorous  and  mare  prosperous. 

Children  of  the  Church,  fear  nothing,  happen 
what  will  to  her.  Christ  is  with  her  and  therefore 
iihe  cannot  sink.  CaBsar,  in  crossing  the  Adriatic, 
said  to  the  troubled  oarsman:  "Quid  times? 
CcBsarem  vehis."  "VVTiat  Caesar  said  in  presumption 
Jesus  says  with  truth:  What  fearest  thou? 
Christ  is  in  the  ship.  Are  we  not  positive  that 
the  sun  will  rise  tomorrow  and  next  day,  and  so 
on  to  the  end  of  the  world?  Why?  Because  God 
so  ordained  when  He  established  it  in  the  heav- 
ens; and  because  it  has  never  faibd  to  run  its 
course  from  the  beginning.  Has  not  Christ  prom- 
ised that  the  Church  should  always  enlighten  the 
world?  Has  He  not,  so  far,  fulfilled  His  promise 
concerning  His  Church?  Has  she  not  gone  stead- 
ily on  her  course  amid  storm  and  sunshine?  The 
fulfilment  of  the  past  is  the  best  security  for  the 
future. 

Amid  the  continual  changes  in  human  institu- 
tions she  is  the  one  Institution  that  never  changes. 
Amid  the  universal  ruins  of  earthly  monuments 
she  is  the  one  monument  that  stands  proudly  pre- 
eminent. Not  a  stone  in  this  building  falls  to  the 
ground.  Amid  the  general  destruction  of  king- 
doms her  kingdom  is  never  destroyed.  Ever  an- 
cient and  ever  new,  time  writes  no  wrinkles  on 
her  Divine  brow. 

The  Church  has  seen  the  birth  of  every  govern- 
ment of  Europe,  and  it  is  not  at  all  improbable 
that  she  shall  also  witness  the  death  of  them  all 


62  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

and  cliant  their  requiem.  She  was  more  than  four- 
teen hundred  years  old  when  Columbus  discovered 
our  continent,  and  the  foundation  of  our  Eepublic 
Is  but  as  yesterday  to  her. 

She  calmly  looked  on  while  the  Goths  and  the 
Visigoths,  the  Huns  and  the  Saxons  swept  like  a 
torrent  over  Europe,  subverting  dynasties.  She 
has  seen  monarchies  changed  into  republics,  and 
republics  consolidate<i  into  empires — all  this  has 
she  witnessed,  while  her  own  Divine  Constitution 
has  remained  unaltered.  Of  Her  we  can  truly 
say  in  the  words  of  the  Psalmist:  "They  shall 
perish,  but  thou  remainest;  and  all  of  them  shall 
grow  old  as  a  garment.  And  as  a  vesture  Thou 
shalt  change  them,  and  they  shall  be  changed.  But 
thou  art  always  the  self-same,  and  thy  years  shalt 
not  fail.  The  children  of  thy  servants  shall  con- 
tinue, and  their  seed  shall  be  directed  forever."  * 
God  forbid  that  we  should  ascribe  to  any  human 
cause  this  marvellous  survival  of  the  Church. 
Her  indestructibility  is  not  due,  as  some  suppose, 
to  her  wonderful  organization,  or  to  the  far-reach- 
ing policy  of  her  Pontiffs,  or  to  the  learning  and 
wisdom  of  her  teachers.  If  she  has  survived,  it 
is  not  because  of  human  wisdom,  but  often  in 
spite  of  human  folly.  Her  permanence  is  due  not 
to  the  arm  of  the  flesh,  but  to  the  finger  of  God. 

In  the  brightest  days  of  the  Eepublic  of  Pagan 
Rome  the  Roman  said  with  pride:  ''I  am  a 
Roman  citizen."  This  was  his  noblest  title.  He 
was  proud  of  the  Republic,  because  it  was  vener- 
able in  years,  powerful  in  the  number  of  its  citi- 
zens, and  distinguished  for  the  wisdom  of  its 
statesmen.  What  a  subject  of  greater  glory  to  be 
a  citizen  of  the  Republic  of  the  Church  which  has 
lasted  for  nineteen  centuries,  and  will  continue 

»P8ahn  d.  27-29. 


PERPETUITY  63 

]ill  time  shall  be  no  more ;  which  coimts  her  mil- 
lions of  children  in  every  clime;  which  numbers 
her  heroes  and  her  martyrs  by  the  thousand; 
which  associates  you  with  the  Apostles  and 
Saints.  ''You  are  no  more  strangers  and  for- 
eigners, but  you  are  fellow-citizens  with  the  Saints 
and  the  domestics  of  God,  built  upon  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Prophets  and  Apostles,  Jesus  Christ 
Himself  being  the  chief  cornerstone."^  Though 
separated  from  earthly  relatives  and  parents, 
you  need  never  be  separated  from  her.  She  is 
ever  with  us  to  comfort  us.  She  says  to  us  what 
her  Divine  Spouse  said  to  His  Apostles:  "Behold, 
I  am  with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation 
of  the  world."  2 


i|!ph.  iL  19,  20.  -Matt  xxviii. 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

INFALUBLE  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

THE  Church  has  authority  from  God  to  teach 
regarding  faith  and  morals,  and  in  her  teach- 
ing she  is  preserved  from  error  by  the  special 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  prerogative  of  infallibility  is  clearly  de- 
duced from  the  attributes  of  the  Church  already 
mentioned.  The  Church  is  One,  Holy,  Catholic, 
and  Apostolic.  Preaching  the  same  creed  every- 
where and  at  all  times;  teaching  holiness  and 
truth,  she  is,  of  course,  essentially  unerring  in 
her  doctrine;  for  what  is  one,  holy  or  unchange- 
able must  be  infallibly  true. 

That  the  Church  was  infallible  in  the  Apostolic 
age  is  denied  by  no  Christian.  We  never  question 
the  truth  of  the  Apostles '  declarations ;  ^  they 
were,  in  fact,  the  only  authority  in  the  Church 
for  the  first  century.  The  New  Testament  was 
not  completed  till  the  close  of  the  first  century. 
There  is  no  just  ground  for  denying  to  the  Apos- 
tolic teachers  of  the  nineteenth  century  in  which 
we  live  a  prerogative  clearly  possessed  by  tho-.^ 
of  the  first,  especially  as  the  Divine  Word  no- 
where intimates  that  this  unerring  guidance  was 
to  die  with  the  Apostles.  On  the  contrary,  as 
the  Apostles  transmitted  to  their  successors  their 
power  to  preach,  to  baptize,  to  ordain,  to  confirm, 
»See  Gal.  iv.  14;  1  Thess.  ii.  13. 

S5 


66  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

etc.,  they  must  also  have  handed  down  to  them 
the  no  less  essential  gift  o'f  infallibility. 

God  loves  US  as  much  as  He  loved  the  primitive 
Christians ;  Christ  died  for  us  as  well  as  for  them 
and  we  have  as  much  need  of  unerring  teachers 
as  they  had. 

It  will  not  suffice  to  tell  me :  * '  We  have  an  in- 
fallible Scripture  as  a  substitute  for  an  infallible 
apostolate  of  the  first  century,"  for  an  infallible 
book  is  of  no  use  to  me  without  an  infallible  in- 
terpreter, as  the  history  of  Protestantism  too 
clearly  demonstrates. 

But  besides  these  presumptive  arguments,  we 
have  positive  evidence  from  Scripture  that  the 
Church  cannot  err  in  her  teachings.  Our  blessed 
Lord,  in  constituting  St.  Peter  Prince  of  His 
Apostles,  says  to  him :  ' '  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church,  and  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."^  Christ 
makes  here  a  solemn  prediction  that  no  error 
shall  ever  invade  His  Church,  and  if  she  fell  into 
error  the  gates  of  hell  have  certainly  prevailed 
against  her. 

The  Eeformers  of  the  sixteenth  century  affirm 
that  the  Church  did  fall  into  error ;  that  the  gates 
,of  hell  did  prevail  against  her;  that  from  the 
sixth  to  the  sixteenth  century  she  was  a  sink  of 
iniquity.  The  Book  of  Homilies  of  the  Church  of 
England  says  that  the  Church  "lay  buried  in 
damnable  idolatry  for  eight  hundred  years  or 
more."  The  personal  veracity  of  our  Savior  and 
of  the  Reformers  is  here  at  issue,  for  our  Lord 
makes  a  statement  which  they  contradict.  Who 
is  to  be  believed,  Jesus  or  the  Reformers? 

If  the  prediction  of  our  Savior  about  the  pres- 
ervation of  His  Church  from  error  be  false,  then 

» Matt.  xvi.  )fi 


IXFAIJJBLE  AUTHORITY  6? 

Jesus  Christ  is  not  God,  since  God  cannot  lie. 
He  is  not  even  a  prophet,  since  He  predicted 
falsehood.  Nay,  He  is  an  impostor,  and  all  Chris- 
tianity is  a  miserable  failure  and  a  huge  decep- 
tion, since  it  rests  on  a  false  Prophet. 

But  if  Jesus  predicted  the  truth  when  He  de- 
clared that  the  gates  of  hell  should  not  prevail 
against  His  Church — and  who  dare  deny  it? — 
then  the  Church  never  has  and  never  could  have 
fallen  from  the  truth;  then  the  Catholic  Church 
is  infallible,  for  she  alone  claims  that  prerogative, 
and  she  is  the  only  Church  that  is  acknowledged 
to  have  existed  from  the  beginning.  Truly  is 
Jesus  that  wise  Architect  mentioned  in  the  Gos- 
pel, "who  built  his  house  upon  a  rock;  and  the 
rain  fell,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew, 
and  they  beat  upon  that  house,  and  it  fell  not, 
for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock."  ^ 

Jesus  sends  forth  the  Apostles  with  plenipoten- 
tiary powers  to  preach  the  Gospel.  "As  the 
Father,"  He  says,  "hath  sent  Me,  I  also  send 
you."^  "Going  therefore,  teach  all  nations, 
teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
T  have  commanded  you."^  "Preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature. "  *  "Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto 
Me  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  Samaria, 
and  even  to  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth." '' 

This  commission  evidently  applies  not  to  the 
Apostles  only,  but  also  to  their  successors,  to 
the  end  of  time,  since  it  was  utterly  impossible 
for  the  Apostles  personally  to  preach  to  the  whole 
world. 

Not  only  does  our  Lord  empower  His  Apostles 
to  preach  the  Gospel,  but  He  commands,  and  un- 
der the  most  severe  i^enalties,  those  to  whom  they 

1  Matt.  vii.  24,  et  seq.     2  John  xx.  21.    3  Matt,  xxviii  19,  20. 
*  Mark  xvi.  15.        5  Acts  i.  8. 


68  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

preach  to  listen  and  obey.  '^  Whosoever  will  not 
receive  yon,  nor  hear  yonr  words,  going  forth 
from  that  house  or  city,  shake  the  dust  from  your 
feet.  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  it  shall  be  more  toler- 
able for  the  land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha  in  the 
day  of  judgment  than  for  that  city."^  "If  he 
will  not  hear  the  Church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the 
heathen  and  the  publican."  -  "He  that  believeth 
shall  be  saved ;  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  con- 
demned. "2  ii  jje  that  heareth  you  heareth  Me ; 
he  that  despiseth  j^ou  daspiseth  Me;  and  he  that 
despiseth  Me  despiseth  Him  that  sent  Me.'"* 

From  these  passages  we  see,  on  the  one  hand, 
that  the  Apostles  and  their  successors  have  re- 
ceived full  powers  to  announce  the  Gospel;  and 
on  the  other,  that  their  hearers  are  obliged  to 
listen  with  docility  and  to  obey  not  merely  by 
an  external  compliance,  but  also  by  an  internal 
assent  of  the  intellect.  If,  therefore,  the  Catholic 
Church  could  preach  error,  would  not  God  Him- 
self be  responsible  for  the  error?  And  could  not 
the  faithful  soul  say  to  God  with  all  reverence 
and  truth:  Thou  hast  commanded  me,  O  Lord, 
to  hear  Thy  Church;  if  I  am  deceived  by  obeying 
her.  Thou  art  the  cause  of  my  error? 

But  we  may  rest  assured  that  an  all-wise  Provi- 
dence who  commands  His  Church  to  speak  in 
His  name  will  so  guide  her  in  the  path  of  truth 
that  she  shall  never  lead  into  error  those  that 
follow  her  teachings. 

But  as  this  privilege  of  Infallibility  was  a  vecy 
extraordinary  favor,  our  Savior  confers  it  on  the 
rulers  of  His  Church  in  language  which  removes 
all  doubt  from  the  sincere  inquirer,  and  under 
circumstances  which  add  to  the  majesty  of  His 

'  Matt  X.  14,  15.  *  Matt,  xviii.  17.  » Mark  xvi.  16L 

•Luke  X.  16. 


INFALLIBLE  AUTHORITY  69 

word.  Shortly  before  His  death  Jesus  consoles 
His  disciples  by  this  promise:  "I  will  ask  the 
Father,  and  He  shall  give  you  another  Paraclete, 
tJiat  He  may  abide  with  you  forever.  .  .  .  But 
when  He,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  shall  come,  He  will 
teach  you  all  truth."  ^ 

The  following  text  of  the  same  import  forms  the 
concluding  words  recorded  of  our  Savior  in  St. 
Matthew's  Gospel:  ''All  power  is  given  to  Me  in 
heaven  and  on  earth.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach 
all  nations,  .  .  .  teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you.  And 
behold  I  am  with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  con- 
summation of  the  world."  ^ 

He  begins  by  asserting  His  own  Divine  author- 
ity and  mission.  "All  power  is  given,"  etc.  That 
power  He  then  delegates  to  His  Apostles  and  to 
their  successors:  "Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all 
nations,"  etc.  He  does  not  instruct  them  to  scat- 
ter Bibles  broadcast  over  the  earth,  but  to  teach 
by  word  of  mouth.  "And  behold!"  Our  Savior 
never  arrests  the  attention  of  His  hearers  by 
using  the  interjection,  behold,  imless  when  He  has 
something  unusually  solemn  and  extraordinary 
to  communicate.  An  important  announcement  is 
sure  to  follow  this  word.  "Behold,  I  am  with 
you."  These  words,  "/  am  ivith  you,"  are  fre- 
quently addressed  in  Sacred  Scripture  by  the  Al-^ 
mighty  to  His  Prophets  and  Patriarchs,  and  they 
always  imply  a  special  presence  and  a  particular 
supervision  of  the  Deity.^  They  convey  the  same 
meaning  in  the  present  instance.  Christ  says 
equivalently  I  who  "am  the  way,  the  truth  and 
the  life,"  will  protect  you  from  error  and  will 
guide  you  in  your  speech.     I  will  be  with  you, 

1  John  xiv.  16 ;  xvi.  13.  2  Matt,  xxviii.  18-20 

3  Ex.  iii.  12 ;  Jer.  sv.  20,  etc. 


70  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

not  merely  during  your  natural  lives,  not  for  a 
century  only,  but  all  days,  at  all  times,  without 
intermission,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

These  words  of  Jesus  Christ  establish  two  im- 
portant facts:  First — A  promise  to  guard  His 
Church  from  error.  Second — A  promise  that  His 
presence  with  the  Church  will  be  continuous,  with- 
out any  interval  of  absence,  to  the  consummation 
of  the  world. 

And  this  is  also  the  sentiment  of  the  Apostle  of 
the  Gentiles  writing  to  the  Ephesians:  God  ''gave 
some  indeed  Apostles,  and  some  Prophets,  and 
some  Evangelists,  and  others  Pastors  and  Teach- 
ers, for  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints,  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  for  the  building  up  of  the  body 
of  Christ,  until  we  all  meet  in  the  unity  of  faith, 
.  .  .  that  we  may  no  more  be  children,  tossed  to 
and  fro,  and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of 
doctrine,  by  the  wickedness  of  men,  in  craft,  by 
which  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive. ' '  * 

Notwithstanding  these  plain  declarations  of 
Scripture,  some  persons  think  it  an  unwarrant- 
able assumption  for  the  Church  to  claim  infalli- 
bility. But  mark  the  consequences  that  follow 
from  denying  it. 

If  your  church  is  not  infallible  it  is  liable  to 
err,  for  there  is  no  medium  between  infallibility 
and  liability  to  error.  If  your  church  and  her 
ministers  are  fallible  in  their  doctrinal  teachings, 
as  they  admit,  they  may  be  preaching  falsehood 
to  you,  instead  of  truth.  If  so,  you  are  in  doubt 
whether  you  are  listening  to  truth  or  falsehood. 
If  you  are  in  doubt  you  can  have  no  faith,  for 
faith  excludes  doubt,  and  in  that  state  you  dis- 
please God,  for  ''without  faith  it  is  impossible 
to  please  God.'*  ^    Faith  and  infallibility  must  go 

» Eph.  iv.  11-14.  *  Heb.  xi.  6. 


INFALLIBLE  AUTHORITY  71 

hand  in  hand.  The  one  cannot  exist  without  the 
other.  There  can  be  no  faith  in  the  hearer  unless 
there  is  unerring  authority  in  the  speaker— an  au- 
thority founded  upon  such  certain  knowledge  as 
precludes  the  possibility  of  falling  into  error  on  his 
part,  and  including  such  unquestioned  veracity  as 
to  prevent  his  deceiving  him  who  accepts  his  word. 

You  admit  infallible  certainty  in  the  physical 
sciences ;  why  should  you  deny  it  in  the  science  of 
salvation!  The  astronomer  can  predict  with  accu- 
racy a  hundred  years  beforehand  an  eclipse  of  the 
sun  or  moon.  He  can  tell  what  point  in  the  heavens 
a  planet  will  reach  on  a  given  day.  The  mariner, 
guided  by  his  compass,  knows,  amid  the  raging- 
storm  and  the  darkness  of  the  night,  that  he  is 
steering  his  course  directly  to  the  city  of  his  desti- 
nation ;  and  is  not  an  infallible  guide  as  necessary 
to  conduct  you  to  the  city  of  God  in  heaven?  Is  it 
not,  moreover,  a  blessing  and  a  consolation  that, 
amid  the  ever-changing  views  of  men,  amid  the 
conflict  of  human  opinion  and  the  tumultuous 
waves  of  human  passion,  there  is  one  voice  heard 
above  the  din  and  uproar,  crying  in  clear,  unerring 
tones :  ' '  Thus  saith  the  Lord  ? ' ' 

It  is  very  strange  that  the  Catholic  Church  must 
apologize  to  the  world  for  simply  declaring  that 
she  speaks  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing 
but  the  truth. 

The  Roman  Pantheon  was  dedicated  to  all  the 
gods  of  the  Empire,  and  their  name  was  legion. 
Formidable  also  in  numbers  are  the  Founders  of 
the  religious  sects  existing  in  our  country.  A 
Pantheon  as  vast  as  Westminster  Abbey  would 
hardly  be  spacious  enough  to  contain  life-sized 
statues  for  their  accommodation. 

If  you  were  to  confront  those  figures,  and  to  ask 
them,  one  by  one,  to  give  an  account  of  the  faith 


tZ  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

they  had  professed,  and  if  they  were  endowed  with 
the  gift  of  speech,  you  would  find  that  no  two  of 
them  were  in  entire  accord,  but  that  they  all  dif- 
fered among  themselves  on  some  fundamental  prin- 
ciple of  revelation. 

Would  you  not  be  acting  very  unwisely  and  be 
hazarding  your  soul's  salvation  in  submitting  to 
the  teachings  of  so  many  discordant  and  conflict- 
ing oracles. 

Children  of  the  Catholic  Church,  give  thanks  to 
God  that  you  are  members  of  that  Communion, 
which  proclaims  year  after  year  the  one  same  and 
unalterable  message  of  truth,  peace  and  love,  and 
that  you  are  preserved  from  all  errors  in  faith, 
and  from  all  illusion  in  the  practice  of  virtue.  You 
are  happily  strangers  to  those  interior  conflicts,  to 
those  perplexing  doubts  and  to  that  frightful  un- 
certainty which  distracts  the  souls  of  those  whose 
private  judgment  is  their  only  guide,  who  are 
''ever  learning  and  never  attaining  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth.  "^  You  are  not,  like  others, 
drifting  helplessly  over  the  ocean  of  uncertainty 
and  "carried  about  by  every  wind  of  doctrine." 
You  are  not  as  ''blind  men  led  by  blind  guides." 
You  are  not  like  those  who  are  in  the  midst  of  a 
spiritual  desert  intersected  by  various  bj^-paths, 
not  knowing  which  to  pursue;  but  you  are  on  that 
high  road  spoken  of  by  the  prophet  Isaiah,  which  is 
so  "straight  a  way  that  fools  shall  not  err  there- 
in."^ You  are  a  part  of  that  universal  Commu- 
nion which  has  no  "High  Church"  and  "Low 
Church;"  no  "New  School"  and  "Old  School," 
for  you  all  belong  to  that  School  which  is  "ever 
ancient  and  ever  new."  You  enjoy  that  profound 
peace  and  tranquillity  which  springs  from  the  con- 
1  Tim.  iii.  7.  2  Isaiah  xxxv.  8. 


INFALLIBLE  AUTHORITY  73 

seious  possession  of  the  whole  truth.  Well  may 
you  exclaim:  "Behold  how  good  and  how  pleas- 
ant it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity. ' '  ^ 

Give  thanks,  moreover,  to  God  that  you  belong 
to  a  Church  which  has  also  a  keen  sense  to  detect 
and  expose  those  moral  shams,  those  pious  frauds, 
those  socialistic  schemes  which  are  so  often  under- 
taken in  this  country  ostensibly  in  the  name  of  re- 
ligion and  morality,  but  which,  in  reality,  are  sub- 
versive of  morality  and  order,  which  are  the  off- 
spring of  fanaticism,  and  serve  as  a  mask  to  hide 
the  most  debasing  passions.  Neither  Mormons 
nor  Millerites,  nor  the  advocates  of  free  love  or  of 
wojnen's  rights,  so  called,  find  any  recruits  in  the 
Catholic  Church.  She  will  never  suffer  her  chil- 
dren to  be  ensnared  by  these  impostures,  how  spe- 
cious soever  they  may  be. 

From  what  has  been  said  in  the  preceding  pages, 
it  follows  that  the  Catholic  Church  cannot  be  re- 
formed. ^  I  do  not  mean,  of  course,  that  the  Pas- 
tors of  the  Church  are  personally  impeccable  or 
not  subject  to  sin.  Every  teacher  in  the  Church, 
from  the  Pope  down  to  the  humblest  Priest,  is  li- 
able at  any  moment,  like  any  of  the  faithful,  to 
fall  from  grace  and  to  stand  in  need  of  moral 
reformation.  "We  all  carry  ''this  treasure  (of  in- 
nocence) in  earthen  vessels." 

My  meaning  is  that  the  Church  is  not  suscepti- 
ble of  being  reformed  in  her  doctrines.  The 
Church  is  the  work  of  an  Incarnate  God.  Like  all 
God's  works,  it  is  perfect.  It  is,  therefore,  in- 
capable of  reform.  Is  it  not  the  height  of  pre- 
sumption for  men  to  attempt  to  improve  upon  the 
work  of  God?  Is  it  not  ridiculous  for  the  Lu- 
thers,  the  Caivins,  the  Knoxes  and  the  Henries 

iPs.  cxxxii. 


74  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

and  a  thousand  lesser  lights  to  be  oifermg  their 
amendments  to  the  Constitution  of  the  Church,  as 
if  it  were  a  human  Institution? 

Our  Lord  Himself  has  never  ceased  to  rule  per- 
sonally over  His  Church.  It  is  time  enough  for 
little  men  to  take  charge  of  the  Ship  when  the 
great  Captain  abandons  the  helm. 

A  Protestant  gentleman  of  very  liberal  educa- 
tion remarked  to  me,  before  the  opening  of  the 
late  Ecumenical  Council;  "I  am  assured,  sir, 
by  a  friend,  in  confidence,  that,  at  a  secret  Con- 
clave of  Bishops  recently  held  in  Rome  it  was 
resolved  that  the  Dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception would  be  reconsidered  and  abolished  at 
the  approaching  General  Council;  in  fact,  that 
the  definition  was  a  mistake,  and  that  the  blunder 
of  1854  would  be  repaired  in  1869."  I  told  him, 
of  course,  that  no  such  question  could  be  enter- 
tained in  the  Council;  that  the  doctrinal  decrees 
of  the  Church  were  irrevocable,  and  that  the 
dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  was  defined 
once  and  forever. 

If  only  one  instance  could  be  given  in  which 
the  Church  ceased  to  teach  a  doctrine  of  faith, 
which  had  been  previously  held,  that  single  in- 
stance would  be  the  death  blow  of  her  claim  to  in- 
fallibility. But  it  is  a  marvelous  fact  worthy 
of  record  that  in  the  whole  history  of  the  Church, 
from  the  nineteenth  century  to  the  first,  no  soli- 
tary example  can  be  adduced  to  show  that  any 
Pope  or  General  Council  ever  revoked  a  decree 
of  faith  or  morals  enacted  by  any  preceding  Pon- 
tiff or  Council.  Her  record  in  the  past  ought  to 
be  a  sufficient  warrant  that  she  will  tolerate  no 
doctrinal  variations  in  the  future. 


INFALLIBLE  AUTHORITY  75 

If,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Church  has  authority 
from  God  to  teach,  and  if  she  teaches  nothing 
hut  the  truth,  is  it  not  the  duty  of  all  Christians 
to  hear  her  voice  and  obey  her  commands?  She 
is  the  organ  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  She  is  the  Eepre- 
sentative  of  Jesus  Clirist,  who  has  said  to  her: 
**He  that  heareth  you  heareth  Me;  he  that  de- 
spiseth  you  despiseth  Me."  She  is  the  Mistress 
of  truth.  It  is  the  property  of  the  human  mind 
to  embrace  truth  wherever  it  finds  it.  It  would, 
therefore,  be  not  only  an  act  of  irreverence,  but 
of  sheer  folly,  to  disobey  the  voice  of  this  ever- 
truthful  Mother. 

If  a  citizen  is  bound  to  obey  the  laws  of  his 
countiy,  though  these  laws  may  not  in  all  re- 
spects be  conformable  to  strict  justice;  if  a  child 
is  bound  by  natural  and  divine  law  to  obey  his 
mother,  though  she  may  sometimes  err  in  her 
judgments,  how  much  more  strictly  are  not  we 
obliged  to  be  docile  to  the  teachings  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church,  our  Mother,  whose  admonitions  are 
always  just,  whose  precepts  are  immutable! 

*'For  twenty  years,"  observed  a  recently  con- 
verted Minister  of  the  Protestant  Church,  ''I 
fought  and  struggled  against  the  Church  with 
all  the  energy  of  my  will.  But  when  I  became 
a  Catholic  all  my  doubts  ended,  my  inquiries 
ceased.  I  became  as  a  little  child,  and  rushed 
like  a  lisping  babe  into  the  arms  of  my  mother." 
By  Baptism  Christians  become  children  of  the 
Church,  no  matter  who  pours  upon  them  the  re- 
generating waters.  If  she  is  our  Mother,  where 
is  our  love  and  obedience?  When  the  infant  seeks 
nourishment  at  its  mother's  breast  it  does  not 
analyze  its  food.  When  it  receives  instructions 
from  its  mother's  lips  it  never  doubts,  but  in- 
stinctively believes.    When  the  mother  stretches 


76  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

forth  her  hand  the  child  follows  unhesitatingly. 
The  Christian  should  have  for  his  spiritual 
Mother  all  the  simplicity,  all  the  credulity,  I 
might  say,  of  a  child,  guided  by  the  instincts  of 
faith.  "Unless  ye  become,"  says  our  Lord,  *'as 
little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven."^  "As  new-bom  babes,  desire 
the  rational  milk  without  guile;  that  thereby  you 
may  grow  unto  salvation. "  ^  In  her  nourishment 
there  is  no  poison;  in  her  doctrines  there  is  no 
guile. 


'irfatt.  xviii.  3.  SPetii.  2. 


CHAPTER  VIIl. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  BIBLE. 

THE  Church,  as  we  have  just  seen,  is  tke 
only  Divinely  constituted  teacher  of  Revela- 
tion. 

Now,  the  Scripture  is  the  great  depository  of 
the  Word  of  God.  Therefore,  the  Church  is  the 
divinely  appointed  Custodian  and  Interpreter  of 
the  Bible.  For,  her  ofiSce  of  infallible  Guide  were 
superfluous  if  each  individual  could  interpret  the 
Bible  for  himself. 

That  God  never  intended  the  Bible  to  be  the 
Christian's  rule  of  faith,  independently  of  the 
living  authority  of  the  Church,  will  be  the  subject 
of  this  chapter. 

No  nation  ever  had  a  greater  veneration  for 
the  Bible  than  the  Jewish  people.  The  Holy 
Scripture  was  their  pride  and  their  glory.  It 
was  their  national  song  in  time  of  peace;  it  was 
their  meditation  and  solace  in  time  of  tribulation 
and  exile.  And  yet  the  Jews  never  dreamed  of 
settling  their  religious  controversies  by  a  private 
appeal  to  the  Word  of  God. 

Whenever  any  religious  dispute  arose  among 
the  people  it  was  decided  by  the  High  Priest  and 
the  Sanhedrim,  which  was  a  council  consisting 
of  seventy-two  civil  and  ecclesiastical  judges. 
The  sentence  of  the  High  Priest  and  of  his  asso- 
ciate judges  was  to  be  obeyed  under  penalty  of 

7? 


78  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  i^ATHERS 

death.  *'If  tliou  perceive,"  says  the  Book  of 
Deuteronomy,  "that  there  be  among  you  a  hard 
and  doubtful  matter  in  judgment,  .  .  .  thou  shalt 
come  to  the  Priests  of  the  Levitical  race  and  to 
the  judge,  .  .  .  and  they  shall  show  thee  the  truth 
of  the  judgment.  .  .  .  And  thou  shalt  follow  their 
sentence;  neither  shalt  thou  decline  to  the  right 
hand,  nor  to  the  left.  .  .  .  But  he  that  will  .  .  . 
refuse  to  obey  the  commandment  of  the  Priest, 
.  .  .  that  man  shall  die,  and  thou  shalt  take  away 
the  evil  from  Israel. ' '  ^ 

From  this  clear  sentence  you  perceive  that  God 
does  not  refer  the  Jews  for  the  settlement  of  their 
controversies  to  the  letter  of  the  law,  but  to  the 
living  authority  of  the  ecclesiastical  tribunal 
which  He  had  expressly  established  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

Hence,  the  Priests  were  required  to  be  inti' 
mately  acquainted  with  the  Sacred  Scripture,  be- 
cause they  were  the  depositaries  of  God's  law, 
and  were  its  expounders  to  the  people.  *'The 
lips  of  the  Priest  shall  keep  knowledge,  and  they 
(the  people)  shall  seek  the  law  at  his  mouth,  be- 
cause he  is  the  angel  (or  messenger)  of  the  Lord 
of  hosts"  2 

And,  in  fact,  very  few  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
except  the  Priests,  were  in  possession  of  the  Di- 
vine Books.  The  holy  manuscript  was  rare  and 
precious.  And  what  provision  did  God  make  that 
all  the  people  might  have  an  opportunity  of  hear- 
ing the  Scriptures?  Did  He  command  the  sacred 
volume  to  be  multiplied?  No;  but  He  ordered 
the  Priests  and  the  Levites  to  be  distributed 
through  the  different  tribes,  that  they  might  al- 
ways be  at  hand  to  instruct  the  people  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  law.  The  Jews  were  even  for^ 
» Deut.  xvii.  8,  et  seq.  »MaI.  li.  7, 


THE  CHL*RCH  AXD  THE  BIBLE  79 

bidden  to  read  certain  portions  of  the  Scripture 
till  they  had  reached  the  age  of  thirty  years. 

Does  our  Savior  reverse  this  state  of  things 
when  He  comes  on  earth?  Does  He  tell  the  Jews 
to  be  their  own  guides  in  the  study  of  the  Scrip- 
tures 1  By  no  means ;  but  He  commands  them  to 
obey  their  constituted  teachers,  no  matter  how 
disedifying  might  be  their  private  lives.  ''Then 
said  Jesus  to  the  multitudes  and  to  His  disciples : 
The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  sit  upon  the  chair  of 
Moses.  All  things  therefore  whatsoever  they 
shall  say  to  you,  observe  and  do."  ^ 

It  is  true  our  Lord  said  on  one  occasion; 
"Search  the  Scriptures,  for  you  thinh  in  them  to 
have  life  everlasting,  and  the  same  are  they  that 
give  testimony  to  Me."  ^  This  passage  is  triumph- 
antly quoted  as  an  argument  in  favor  of  private 
interpretation.  But  it  proves  nothing  of  the  kind. 
Many  learned  commentators,  ancient  and  modern, 
express  the  verb  in  the  indicative  mood:  "Ye 
search  the  Scriptures."  At  all  events,  our  Sav- 
ior speaks  here  only  of  the  Old  Testament  be- 
cause the  New  Testament  was  not  yet  written. 
He  addresses  not  the  multitude,  but  the  Pharisees, 
who  were  the  teachers  of  the  law,  and  reproaches 
them  for  not  admitting  His  Divinity.  "You 
have,"  He  says,  "the  Scriptures  in  your  hands; 
why  then  do  you  not  recognize  Me  as  the  Messiah, 
since  they  give  testimony  that  I  am  the  Son  of 
God  I"  He  refers  them  to  the  Scriptures  for  a 
proof  of  His  Divinity,  not  as  to  a  source  from 
which  they  were  to  derive  all  knowledge  in  re- 
gard to  the  truths  of  revelation. 

Besides,  He  did  not  rest  the  proof  of  His  Di- 
vinity upon  the  sole  testimony  of  Scripture.  For 
He  showed  it 

»Matt.  xxlii,  2,  8.  'John  v.  39. 


80  THE  FAITH  OF  OUll  FATHERS 

First — By  the  testimony  of  John  the  Baptist 
(v.  33),  who  had  said,  "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God; 
behold  Him  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world."     See  also  John  i.  34. 

Second — By  the  miracles  which  He  wrought 
(v.  36). 

Third— By  the  testimony  of  the  Father  (v.  37), 
when  He  said:  ''This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased;  hear  ye  Him."  Matt.  iii.  16; 
Luke  ix.  35. 

Fourth — By  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment ;  as  if  He  were  to  say,  ' '  If  you  are  unwilling 
to  receive  these  three  proofs,  though  they  are 
most  cogent,  at  least  you  cannot  reject  the  tes- 
timony of  the  Scriptures,  of  which  you  boast  so 
much. ' ' 

Finally,  in  this  very  passage  our  Lord  is  ex- 
plaining the  sense  of  Holy  Writ;  therefore,  its 
true  meaning  is  not  left  to  the  private  interpreta- 
tion of  every  chance  reader.  It  is,  therefore,  a 
grave  perversion  of  the  sacred  text  to  adduce 
these  words  in  vindication  of  private  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Scriptures. 

But  when  our  Redeemer  abolished  the  Old  Law 
and  established  His  Church,  did  He  intend  that 
His  Gospel  should  be  disseminated  by  the  circu- 
lation of  the  Bible,  or  by  the  living  voice  of  His 
disciples'?  This  is  a  vital  question.  I  answer 
most  emphatically,  that  it  was  by  preaching  alone 
that  He  intended  to  convert  the  nations,  and  by 
preaching  alone  they  were  converted.  No  nation 
has  ever  yet  been  converted  by  the  agency  of 
Bible  Associations. 

Jesus  Himself  never  wrote  a  line  of  Scripture. 
He  never  once  commanded  His  Apostles  to  write 
a  word,*  or  even  to  circulate  the  Scriptures  al- 

*Notk:  Except  wbea  He  directed  St.  JoUn  to  write  tin 
Apocalypse,  i.  H. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  BIBLE  81 

ready  existing.  When  He  sends  them  on  their 
Apostolic  errand,  He  says:  ''Go  teach  all  na- 
tions."^ "Preach  the  Gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture."- ''He  that  heareth  you  heareth  Me."^ 
And  we  find  the  Apostles  acting  in  strict  accord- 
ance with  these  instructions. 

Of  the  twelve  Apostles,  the  seventy-two  disci- 
ples, and  early  followers  of  our  Lord  only  eight 
have  left  us  any  of  their  sacred  writings.  And  the 
Gospels  and  Epistles  were  addressed  to  particular 
persons  or  particular  churches.  They  were  writ- 
ten on  the  occasion  of  some  emergency,  just  as 
Bishops  issue  Pastoral  letters  to  correct  abuses 
which  may  spring  up  in  the  Church,  or  to  lay 
down  some  rules  of  conduct  for  the  faithful.  The 
Apostles  are  never  reported  to  have  circulated  a 
single  volume  of  the  Holy  Scripture,  but  "they 
going  forth,  preached  everywhere,  the  Lord  co- 
operating with  them. "  * 

Thus  we  see  that  in  the  Old  and  the  New  Dis- 
pensation the  people  were  to  be  guided  by  a  liv- 
ing authority,  and  not  by  their  private  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Scriptures. 

Lideed,  until  the  religious  revolution  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  it  was  a  thing  unheard  of  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world,  that  people  should  be 
governed  by  the  dead  letter  of  the  law  either  in 
civil  or  ecclesiastical  affairs.  How  are  your  civil 
affairs  regulated  in  this  State,  for  instance?  Cer- 
tainly not  in  accordance  with  your  personal  in- 
terpretation of  the  laws  of  Virginia,  but  in  ac- 
cordance with  decisions  which  are  rendered  by 
the  constituted  judges  of  the  State. 

Now  what  the  civil  code  is  to  the  citizen,  the 
Scripture  is  to  the  Christian.    The  Word  of  God, 

»Matt.  xxviii.  19.  »Mark  xvi.  15  'Lnke  x.  16. 

*  Mark  xvi.  20. 


83  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

as  well  as  the  civil  law,  must  have  an  interpreter, 
by  whose  decision  we  are  obliged  to  abide. 

We  often  hear  the  sliibboleth :  ' '  The  Bible,  and 
the  Bible  only,  must  be  your  guide."  Why,  then,, 
do  you  go  to  the  useless  expense  of  building  fin« 
churches  and  Sabbath-schools?  What  is  the  use 
of  your  preaching  sermons  and  catechizing  the 
young,  if  the  Bible  at  home  is  a  sufficient  guide 
for  your  people?  The  fact  is,  you  reverend  gen- 
tlemen contradict  in  practice  what  you  so  vehe- 
mently advance  in  theory.  Do  not  tell  me  that  the 
Bible  is  all-sufiicient ;  or,  if  you  believe  it  is  self- 
sufficient,  cease  your  instructions.  Stand  not  be- 
tween the  people  and  the  Scriptures. 

I  will  address  myself  now  in  a  friendly  spirit 
to  a  non-Catholic,  and  will  proceed  to  show  him 
that  he  cannot  consistently  accept  the  silent  Book 
of  Scripture  as  his  sufficient  guide. 

A  copy  of  the  sacred  vohune  is  handed  to  you 
by  your  minister,  who  says:  "Take  this  book; 
you  will  find  it  all-sufficient  for  your  salvation.'* 
But  here  a  serious  difficulty  awaits  you  at  the  very 
threshold  of  your  investigations.  What  assur- 
ance have  you  that  the  book  he  hands  you  is  the 
inspired  Word  of  God ;  for  every  part  of  the  Bible 
is  far  from  possessing  intrinsic  evidences  of  in- 
spiration? It  may,  for  ought  you  know,  contain 
more  than  the  Word  of  God,  or  it  may  not  con- 
tain all  the  Word  of  God.  We  must  not  suppose 
that  the  Bible  was  always,  as  it  is  now,  a  compact 
book,  bound  in  a  neat  form.  It  was  for  several 
centuries  in  scattered  fragments,  spread  over  dif- 
ferent parts  of  Christendom.  Meanwhile,  many 
spurious  books,  under  the  name  of  Scripture,  were 
circulated  among  the  faithful.  There  was,  for  in- 
etance,  the  spurious  Gospel  of  St.  Peter;  thera 


THE  CHURCH  AXD  THE  BIBLE  83 

was    also    the    Gospel    of    St.  James  and  of  St. 
Matthias. 

The  Catholic  Church,  in  the  plenitude  of  her 
authority,  in  the  third  Council  of  Carthage,  (A. 
D.  397,)  separated  the  chaff  from  the  wheat,  and 
declared  what  Books  were  Canonical,  and  what 
were  apocryphal.  Even  to  this  day  the  Christian 
sects  do  not  agree  among  themselves  as  to  what 
books  are  to  be  accepted  as  genuine.  Some  Chris- 
tians of  continental  Europe  do  not  recognize  the 
Gospels  of  St.  Mark  and  St.  Luke  because  these 
Evangelists  were  not  among  the  Apostles.  Luther 
used  to  call  the  Epistle  of  St.  James  a  letter  of 
straw. 

But  even  when  you  are  assured  that  the  Bible 
contains  the  Word  of  God,  and  nothing  but  the 
Word  of  God,  how  do  you  know  that  the  transla- 
tion is  faithful!  The  Books  of  Scripture  were 
originally  written  in  Hebrew  and  Greek,  and  you 
have  only  the  translation.  Before  you  are  cer- 
tain that  the  translation  is  faithful  you  must 
study  the  Hebrew  and  Greek  languages,  and  then 
compare  the  translation  with  the  original.  How 
few  are  capable  of  this  gigantic  undertaking! 

Lideed,  when  you  accept  the  Bible  as  the  Word 
of  God,  you  are  obliged  to  receive  it  on  the  au- 
thority of  the  Catholic  Church,  who  was  the_sole       - 
jGruardian   gf  t.lie   Scriptures   for  fifteen-h-undxeJ 
years.  </    '^-^XC/S 

But  after  having  ascertained  to  your  satisfac- 
tion that  the  translation  is  faithful,  still  the  Scrip- 
tures can  never  serve  as  a  completa  Rule  of  Faith 
and  a  complete  guide  to  heaven  independently  of 
an  authorized,  living  interpreter. 

A  competent  guide,  such  as  our  Lord  intended 
for  us,  must  have  three  characteristics.  It  must 
be  within  the  reach  of  everyone;  it  must  be  clear 


U  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

and  intelligible;  it  must  be  able  to  satisfy  us  on 
all  questions  relating  to  faith  and  morals. 

First — A  complete  guide  of  salvation  must  be 
within  the  reach  of  every  inquirer  after  truth; 
for,  God  ''wishes  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth ; "  ^  and  there- 
fore He  must  have  placed  within  the  reach  of 
everyone  the  means  of  arriving  at  the  truth.  Now, 
it  is  clear  that  the  Scriptures  could  not  at  any 
period  have  been  accessible  to  everyone. 

They  could  not  have  been  accessible  to  the 
primitive  Christians,  because  they  were  not  all 
written  for  a  long  time  after  the  establishment 
of  Christianity.  The  Christian  religion  was 
founded  in  the  year  33.  St.  Matthew's  Gospel, 
the  first  part  of  the  New  Testament  ever  written, 
did  not  appear  till  eight  years  after.  The  Church 
was  established  about  twenty  years  when  St.  Luke 
wrote  his  Gospel.  And  St.  John's  Gospel  did  not 
come  to  light  till  toward  the  end  of  the  first  cen- 
tury. For  many  years  after  the  Gospels  and 
Epistles  were  written  the  knowledge  of  them  was 
confined  to  the  churches  to  which  they  were  ad- 
dressed. It  was  not  till  the  close  of  the  fourth 
century  that  the  Church  framed  her  Canon  of 
Scripture  and  declared  the  Bible,  as  we  now  pos- 
sess it,  to  be  the  genuine  Word  of  God.  And  this 
was  the  golden  age  of  Christianity!  The  most 
perfect  Christians  lived  and  died  and  went  to 
heaven  before  the  most  important  parts  of  the 
Scriptures  were  written.  And  what  would  have 
become  of  them  if  the  Bible  alone  had  been  their 
guide  1 

The  art  of  printing  was  not  invented  till  the 
fifteenth  century  (1440).  How  utterly  impossible  it 
was  to  supply  everyone  ^^^^^  a  copy  of  the  Scrip- 

*  I.  Tim.,  ii.  4. 


THE  CHURCH  AXD  THE  BIBLE  85 

tures  from  the  fourth  to  the  fifteenth  centuryl 
During  that  long  period  Bibles  had  to  be  copied 
with  the  pen.  There  were  but  a  few  hundred  of  them 
in  the  Christian  world,  and  these  were  in  the  hands 
of  the  clergy  and  the  learned.  ''According  to  the 
Protestant  system,  the  art  of  printing  would  have 
been  much  more  necessary  to  the  Apostles  than 
the  gift  of  tongues.  It  was  well  for  Luther  that 
he  did  not  come  into  the  world  until  a  century 
after  the  immortal  invention  of  Guttenberg.  A 
hundred  years  earlier  his  idea  of  directing  two 
hundred  and  fifty  million  men  to  read  the 
Bible  would  have  been  received  with  shouts  of 
laughter,  and  would  inevitably  have  caused  his 
removal  from  the  pulpit  of  Wittenberg  to  a  hos- 
pital for  the  insane."  * 

And  even  at  the  present  day,  with  all  the  aid  ot 
steam  printing  presses,  with  all  the  Bible  Asso- 
ciations extending  through  this  country  and  Eng- 
land, and  supported  at  enormous  expense,  it  taxes 
all  their  energies  to  supply  every  missionary  chan- 
try with  Bibles  printed  in  the  languages  of  the 
tribes  and  peoples  for  whom  they  are  intended. 

But  even  if  the  Bible  were  at  all  times  accessi- 
ble to  everyone,  how  many  millions  exist  in  every 
age  and  country,  not  excepting  our  own  age  of 
boasted  enlightenment,  who  are  not  accessible  to 
the  Bible  because  they  are  incapable  of  reading 
the  Word  of  God !  Hence,  the  doctrine  of  private 
interpretation  would  render  many  men 's  salvation 
net  only  difficult,  but  impossible. 

Secofid — A  competent  religious  guide  must  be 
clear  and  intelligible  to  all,  so  that  everyone  may 
fully  understand  the  true  meaning  of  the  instruc- 
tioHS  it  contains.  Is  the  Bible  a  book  intelligible 
to  all?    Far  from  it;  it  is  full  of  obscurities  and 

*  Martinet,  Religion  in  Society,  Vol.  II.,  c.  10. 


86  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

difficulties  not  only  for  the  illiterate,  but  even  for 
the  learned.  St.  Peter  himself  informs  us  that 
in  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  there  are  ''certain 
things  hard  to  be  understood,  which  the  unlearned 
and  the  unstable  wrest,  as  they  do  also  the  other 
Scriptures,  to  their  own  destruction. "  ^  And 
consequently  he  tells  us  elsewhere  "that  no 
prophecy  of  Scripture  is  made  by  private  inter- 
pretation. ' '  2 

We  read  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  that  a  cer- 
tain man  was  riding  in  his  chariot,  reading  the 
Book  of  Isaiah,  and  being  asked  by  St.  Philip 
whether  he  understood  the  meaning  of  the  proph- 
ecy he  replied:  ''How  can  I  understand  unless 
some  man  show  me  ? "  ^  admitting,  by  these  mod- 
est words,  that  he  did  not  pretend  of  himself  to 
interpret  the  Scriptures. 

The  Fathers  of  the  Church,  though  many  of 
them  spent  their  whole  lives  in  the  study  of  the 
Scriptures,  are  unanimous  in  pronouncing  the 
Bible  a  book  full  of  knotty  difficulties.  And  yet 
we  find  in  our  days  pedants,  with  a  mere  smatter- 
ing of  Biblical  Imowledge,  who  see  no  obscurity 
at  all  in  the  Word  of  God,  and  who  presume  to 
expound  it  from  Genesis  to  Eevelation.  "Fools 
rush  in  where  angels  fear  to  tread." 

Does  not  the  conduct  of  the  Reformers  con- 
clusively show  the  utter  folly  of  interpreting  the 
Scriptures  by  private  judgment  ?  As  soon  as  they 
rejected  the  oracle  of  the  Church,  and  set  up  their 
own  private  judgment  as  the  highest  standard  of 
authority,  they  could  hardly  agree  among  them- 
selves on  the  meaning  of  a  single  important  text. 
The  Bible  became  in  their  hands  a  complete  Babel. 
The  sons  of  Noe  attempted  in  their  pride  to  as- 
cend to  heaven  by  building  the  tower  of  Babel, 

»II.  Pet,  iii.  1(\.  ^Ibid.,  i.  20.  «Acts.  viii.  31. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  BIBLE  87 

and  their  scheme  ended  in  the  confusion  and  mnl- 
tiplication  of  tongues.  The  children  of  the  Kef- 
ormation  endeavored  in  their  conceit  to  lead  men 
to  heaven  by  the  private  interpretation  of  the 
Bible,  and  their  efforts  led  to  the  confusion  and 
the  multiplication  of  religions.  Let  me  give  you 
one  example  out  of  a  thousand.  These  words  of 
the  Gospel,  "This  is  My  Body,"  were  understood 
only  in  one  sense  before  the  Reformation.  The 
new  lights  of  the  sixteenth  century  gave  no  fewer 
than  eighty  different  meanings  to  these  four  sim- 
ple words,  and  since  their  time  the  number  of  in- 
terpretations has  increased  to  over  a  hundred. 

No  one  will  deny  that  in  our  days  there  exists 
a  vast  multitude  of  sects,  which  are  daily  multi- 
plying. No  one  will  deny  ^  that  this  multiplying 
of  creeds  is  a  crying  scandal,  and  a  great  stum- 
bling-block in  the  way  of  the  conversion  of  heathen 
nations.  No  one  can  deny  that  these  divisions 
in  the  Christian  family  are  traceable  to  the  as- 
sumption of  the  right  of  private  judgment.  Every 
new-fledged  divine,  with  a  superficial  education, 
imagines  that  he  has  received  a  call  from  heaven 
to  inaugurate  a  new  religion,  and  he  is  ambitious 
of  handing  down  his  fame  to  posterity  by  stamp- 
ing his  name  on  a  new  sect.  And  every  one  of 
these  champions  of  modern  creeds  appeals  to  the 
unchanging  Bible  in  support  of  his  ever-changing 
doctrines. 

Thus,  one  body  of  Christians  will  prove  from 
the  Bible  that  there  is  but  one  Person  in  God, 
while  the  rest  will  prove  from  the  same  source 
that  a  Trinity  of  Persons  is  a  clear  article  of 
Divine  Revelation.  One  will  prove  from  the  Holy 
Book  that  Jesus  Christ  is  not  God.    Others  will 

*  Except,  perhaps,  Rev.  H.  W.  Beecher.  who  thinks  that  God 
Is  glorified  by  the  variety  of  sects. 


88  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

appeal  to  the  same  text  to  attest  His  Divinity. 
One  denomination  will  assert  on  the  authority  of 
Scripture  that  infant  baptism  is  not  necessary 
for  salvation,  while  others  will  hold  that  it  is. 
Some  Christians,  with  Bible  in  hand,  will  teach 
that  there  are  no  sacraments.  Others  will  say 
that  there  are  only  two.  Some  will  declare  that 
the  inspired  Word  does  not  preach  the  eternity 
of  punishments.  Others  will  say  that  the  Bible 
distinctly  vindicates  that  domna.  Do  not  clergy- 
men appear  every  day  in  the  pulpit,  and  on  the 
authority  of  the  Book  of  Eevelation  point  out  to 
us  with  painful  accuracy  the  year  and  the  day  on 
which  this  world  is  to  come  to  an  end?  And  when 
their  prophecy  fails  of  execution  they  coolly  put 
off  our  destruction  to  another  time. 

Very  recently  several  hundred  Mormon  women 
presented  a  petition  to  the  government  at  Wash- 
ington protesting  against  any  interference  with 
their  abominable  polygamy  and  they  insist  that 
their  cherished  system  is  sustained  by  the  Word 
of  God. 

Such  is  the  legitimate  fruit  of  private  interpre- 
tation! Our  civil  government  is  run  not  by  private 
judgment,  but  by  the  constituted  authorities.  No 
one  in  his  senses  would  allow  our  laws  to  be  inter- 
preted, and  war  to  be  declared  by  sensational  jour- 
nals, or  by  any  private  individuals.  Why  not  ap- 
ply the  same  principle  to  the  interpretation  of  the 
Bible  and  the  government  of  the  Church  ? 

Would  it  not  be  extremely  hazardous  to  make  a 
long  voyage  in  a  ship  in  which  the  officers  and  crew 
are  fiercely  contending  among  themselves  about 
the  manner  of  explaining  the  compass  and  of  steer- 
ing their  course?  How  much  more  daagerous  is 
it  to  trust  to  contending  captains  in  the  joarney  to 
heaven!    Nothing  short  of  an  infallible  authority 


THE  CHURCH  AN"D  THE  BIBLE  89 

should  satisfy  you  when  it  is  a  question  of  steering 
your  course  to  eternity.  On  this  vital  point  there 
should  be  no  conflict  of  opinion  among  those  that 
guide  you.  There  should  he  no  conjecture.  But 
there  must  be  always  someone  at  the  helm  whose 
voice  gives  assurance  amid  the  fiercest  storms  that 
all  is  well. 

Third— A  rule  of  faith,  or  a  competent  guide 
to  heaven,  must  be  able  to  instruct  in  all  the  truths 
necessary  for  salvation.  Now  the  Scriptures 
alone  do  not  contain  all  the  truths  which  a  Chris- 
tian is  bound  to  believe,  nor  do  they  explicitly 
enjoin  all  the  duties  which  he  is  obliged  to  prac- 
tice. Not  to  mention  other  examples,  is  not  every 
Christian  obliged  to  sanctify  Sunday  and  to  ab- 
stain on  that  day  from  unnecessary  servile  work? 
Is  not  the  observance  of  this  law  among  the  most 
prominent  of  our  sacred  duties'?  But  you  may 
read  the  Bible  from  (>enesis  to  Revelation,  and 
yoirwill  not  find  a  single  line  authorizing  the  sanc- 
tification  of  Sunday.  Tl^e  Scriptures  enforce  the 
religious  observance  of  Saturday,  a  day  which 
we  never  sanctify. 

The  Catholic  Church  correctly  teaches  that  our 
Lord  and  His  Apostles  inculcated  certain  import- 
ant duties  of  religion  which  are  not  recorded  by 
the  inspired  writers.^  For  instance,  most  Chris- 
tians pray  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  a  practice  which  is 
nowhere  found  in  the  Bible. 

We  must,  therefore,  conclude  that  the  Scrip- 
tures alone  cannot  be  a  sufficient  guide  and  rule 
of  faith  because  they  cannot,  at  any  time,  be 
within  the  reach  of  every  inquirer;  because  they 
are  not  of  themselves  clear  and  intelligible  even 
in  matters  of  the  highest  importance,  and  because 

1  See  .John  xxi.  25 ;  II.  Thess.  li.  14. 


90  THE  FATTH  OF  OFR  FATHERS 

they  do  not  contain  aJl  the  truths  necessary  for 
salvation. 

^'  God  forbid  that  any  of  my  readers  should  be 
tempted  to  conclude  from  what  I  have  said  that 
the  Catholic  Church  is  opposed  to  the  reading  of 
the  Scriptures,  or  that  she  is  the  enemy  of  the 
Bible.  The  Catholic  Church  the  enemy  of  the 
Bible!  Good  God!  "What  monstrous  ingratitude! 
What  base  calumny  is  contained  in  that  assertion! 
As  well  might  you  accuse  the  Virgin  Mother  of 
trying  to  crush  the  Infant  Savior  at  her  breast 
as  to  accuse  the  Church,  our  Mother,  of  attempt- 
ing to  crush  out  of  existence  the  W^ord  of  God. 
As  well  might  you  charge  the  patriotic  statesman 
with  attempting  to  destroy  the  constitution  of  his 
country,  while  he  strove  to  protect  it  from  being 
mutilated  by  unprincipled  demagogues. 

For  fifteen  centuries  the  Church  was  the  sole 

5'^5'  giiardian  and  depository  of  the  Bible,  and  if  "sEe 
really  feared  that  sacred  Book,  who  was  to  pre- 
vent her,  during  that  long  period,  from  tearing  it 
in  shreds  and  scattering  it  to  the  winds!  She 
could  have  thrown  it  into  the  sea,  as  the  unnat- 
ural mother  would  have  thrown  away  her  off- 
spring, and  who  would  liave  been  the  wiser? 

"\¥liat  has  become  of  those  millions  of  once 
famous  books  written  in  past  ages?  They  have 
nearly  all  perished.  But  amid  this  wreck  of  an- 
cient literature,  the  Bible  stands  almost  a  soli- 
tary monument  like  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt  amid 
the  surroimding  wastes.  That  venerable  Volume 
has  survived  the  wars  and  revolutions  and  the 
barbaric  invasions  of  fifteen  centuries.  Who  res- 
cued it  from  destruction?  The  Catholic  Church. 
Without  her  fostering  care  the  New  Testament 
weuTd  probably  be  as  little  known  today  as  ''the 
Book  of  the  days  of  the  kings  of  Israel."  * 

1  III.  ICmgs  xivr  \f). 


THE  CHUECH  AND  THE  BIBLE  91 

Little  do  we  imagine,  in  our  age  of  steam  print- 
ing, how  much  labor  it  cost  the  Church  to  preserve 
and  perpetuate  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  Learned 
monks,  who  are  now  abused  in  their  graves  by 
thoughtless  men,  were  constantly  employed  in 
copying  with  the  pen  the  Holy  Bible.  When  one 
monk  died  at  his  post  another  took  his  place, 
watching  like  a  faithful  sentinel  over  the  treasure 
of  God's  Word 

Let  me  give  you  a  few  plain  facts  to  show  the 
pains  which  the  Church  has  taken  to  perpetuate 
the  Scriptures. 

The  Canon  of  the  Bible,  as  we  have  seen,  was 
framed  in  the  fourth  century.  In  that  same  cen- 
tury Pope  Damasus  commanded  a  new  and  com- 
plete translation  of  the  Scriptures  to  be  made  into 
the  Latin  language,  which  was  then  the  living 
tongue  not  only  of  Eome  and  Italy,  but  of  the 
civilized  world. 

If  the  Popes  were  afraid  that  the  Bible  should 
see  the  light,  this  was  a  singular  way  of  mani- 
festing their  fear. 

The  task  of  preparing  a  new  edition  of  the 
Scriptures  was  assigned  to  St.  Jerome,  the  most 
learned  Hebrew  scholar  of  his  time.  This  new 
translation  was  disseminated  throughout  Chris- 
tendom, and  on  that  account  was  called  the  Vul- 
gate, or  popular  edition. 

In  the  sixth  and  seventh  centuries  the  modern 
languages  of  Europe  began  to  spring  up  like  so 
many  shoots  from  the  parent  Latin  stock.  The 
Scriptures,  also,  soon  found  their  way  into  these 
languages.  The  Venerable  Bede,  who  lived  in 
England  in  the  eighth  century,  and  whose  name 
is  profoundly  reverenced  in  that  country,  trans- 
lated the  Sacred  Scriptures  into  Saxon,  which  was 


92  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

then  the  language  of  England.    He  died  while  dic- 
tating the  last  verses  of  St.  John's  Gospel. 

Thomas  Arundel,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  in 
a  funeral  discourse  on  Queen  Anne,  consort  of 
Richard  II.,  pronounced  in  1394,  praises  her  for 
her  diligence  in  reading  the  four  Gospels.  Tlie 
Head  of  the  Church  of  England  could  not  condemn 
in  others  what  he  commended  in  the  queen. 

Sir  Thomas  More  affirms  that,  before  the  days 
of  Wycliffe,  there  was  an  English  version  of  the 
Scriptures,  ''by  good  and  godly  people  with  de- 
votion and  soberness  well  and  reverently  read. ' '  ^ 

If  partial  restrictions  began  to  be  placed  on  the 
circulation  of  the  Bible  in  England  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  these  restrictions  were  occasioned  by  the 
conduct  of  Wycliffe  and  his  followers,  who  not 
only  issued  a  new  translation,  on  which  they  en- 
grafted their  novelties  of  doctrine,  but  also  sought 
to  explain  the  sacred  text  in  a  sense  foreign  to  the 
received  interpretation  of  tradition. 

While  laboring  to  diffuse  the  Word  of  God  it 
is  the  dut}^,  as  well  as  the  right  of  the  Church, 
as  the  guardian  of  faith,  to  see  that  the  faithful 
are  not  misled  by  unsound  editions. 

Printing  was  invented  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
and  almost  a  hundred  years  later  came  the  Ref- 
ormation. It  is  often  triumphantly  said,  and 
I  suppose  there  are  some  who,  even  at  the  present 
day,  are  ignorant  enough  to  believe  the  assertion, 
that  the  first  edition  of  the  Bible  ever  published 
after  the  invention  of  printing  was  the  edition  of 
Martin  Luther.  The  fact  is,  that  before  Luther 
put  his  pen  to  paper,  no  fewer  than  fifty-six  edi- 
tions of  the  Scriptures  had  appeared  on  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe,  not  to  speak  of  those  printed  in 

'  Olaloff.  3,  14. 


THE  CHURCH  AXD  THE  BIBLE  93 

Great  Britain.  Of  those  editions,  twenty-one  were 
published  in  German,  one  in  Spanish,  four  in 
French,  twenty-one  in  Italian,  five  in  Flemish  and 
four  in  Bohemian. 

Coming  down  to  our  own  times,  if  you  open  an 
English  Catholic  Bible  you  will  find  in  the  preface 
a  letter  of  Pope  Pius  Vl,  in  which  he  strongly 
recommends  the  pious  reading  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. A  Pope's  letter  is  the  most  weighty  au- 
thority in  the  Church.  You  will  also  find  in  Hay- 
dock's  Bible  the  letters  of  the  Bishops  of  the 
United  States,  in  which  they  express  the  hope 
that  this  splendid  edition  would  have  a  wide  cir- 
culation among  their  flocks. 

These  facts  ought,  I  think,  to  convince  every 
candid  mind  that  the  Church,  far  from  being  op- 
posed to  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  does  all 
she  can  to  encourage  their  perusal. 

A  gentleman  of  North  Carolina  lately  informed 
me  that  the  first  time  he  entered  a  Catholic  book- 
store he  was  surprised  at  witnessing  on  the 
shelves  an  imposing  array  of  Bibles  for  sale.  Up 
to  that  moment  he  had  believed  the  unfounded 
charge  that  Catholics  were  forbidden  to  read  the 
Scriptures.  He  has  since  embraced  the  Catholic 
faith. 

And  perhaps  I  may  be  permitted  here  to  record 
my  personal  experiences  during  a  long  course  of 
study.  I  speak  of  myself,  not  because  my  case 
is  exceptional,  but,  on  the  contrary,  because  my 
example  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  system  pur- 
sued toward  ecclesiastical  students  in  all  colleges 
throughout  the  Catholic  world  in  reference  to  the 
Holy  Scriptures. 

In  our  course  of  Humanities  we  listened  every 
day  to  the  reading  of  the  Bible.  When  we  were 
advanced  to  the  higher  branches  of  Philosophy 


94  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

and  Theology  the  study  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures 
formed  an  important  part  of  our  education.  We 
read,  besides,  every  day  a  chapter  of  the  New 
Testament,  not  standing  or  sitting,  but  on  our 
knees,  and  then  reverently  kissed  the  inspired 
page.  We  listened  at  our  meals  each  day  to  selec- 
tions from  the  Bible,  and  we  always  carried  about 
with  us  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament. 

So  familiar,  indeed,  were  the  students  with  the 
sacred  Volume  that  many  of  them,  on  listening  to 
a  few  verses,  could  tell  from  what  portion  of  the 
Scriptures  you  were  reading.  The  only  dread  we 
were  taught  to  have  of  the  Scriptures  was  that 
of  reading  them  without  fear  and  reverence. 

And  after  his  ordination  every  Priest  is  obliged 
in  conscience  to  devote  upwards  of  an  hour  each 
day  to  the  perusal  of  the  Word  of  God.  I  am  not 
aware  that  clergymen  of  other  denominations  are 
bound  by  the  same  duty. 

AVhat  is  good  for  the  clergy  must  be  good,  also, 
for  the  laity.  Be  assured  that  if  you  become  a 
Catholic  you  will  never  be  forbidden  to  read  the 
Bible.  It  is  our  earnest  wish  that  every  word  of 
the  Gospel  may  be  imprinted  on  your  memory  and 
on  your  heart. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  PRIMACY  OF  PETER. 

THE  Catholic  Church  teaches  also,  that  our 
Lord  conferred  on  St.  Peter  the  first  place 
of  honor  and  jurisdiction  in  the  government 
of  His  whole  Church,  and  that  the  same  spiritual 
supremacy  has  always  resided  in  the  Popes,  or 
Bishops  of  Rome,  as  being  the  successors  of  St. 
Peter.  Consequently,  to  be  true  followers  of 
Christ  all  Christians,  both  among  the  clergy  and 
the  laity,  must  be  in  communion  with  the  See 
of  Rome,  where  Peter  rules  in  the  person  of  nis 
successor. 

Before  coming  to  any  direct  proofs  on  this  sub- 
ject I  may  state  that,  in  the  Old  Law,  the  High 
Priest  appointed  by  Almighty  God  filled  an  office 
analogous  to  that  of  Pope  in  the  New  Law.  In 
the  Jewish  Church  there  were  Priests  and  Levites 
ordained  to  minister  at  the  altar;  and  there  was, 
also,  a  supreme  ecclesiastical  tr'.bunal,  with  the 
Pligh  Priest  at  its  head.  All  matters  of  religious 
controversy  were  referred  to  this  tribunal  and  in 
the  last  resort  to  the  High  Priest,  whose  decision 
was  enforced  under  pain  of  death.  "If  there  be 
a  hard  matter  in  judgment  between  blood  and 
blood,  cause  and  cause,  leprosy  and  leprosy,  .  .  . 
thou  shalt  conae  to  the  Priests  of  the  Levitical 
race  and  to  the  judge,  .  .  .  and  they  shall  show 
thee  true  judgment.    And  tkou  shalt  do  whatever 

95 


96  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

they  say  who  preside  in  the  place  which  the  Lord 
shall  choose,  and  thou  shalt  follow  their  sentence. 
And  thou  shalt  not  decline  to  the  right  hand,  or 
to  the  left.  .  .  .  But  he  that  .  .  .  will  refuse  to 
obey  the  commandment  of  the  Priest,  who  min- 
istereth  at  the  time,  .  .  .  that  man  shall  die,  and 
thou  shalt  take  away  the  evil  from  Israel. ' '  ^ 

From  this  passage  it  is  evident  that  in  the  He- 
brew Church  the  High  Priest  had  the  highest 
jurisdiction  in  religious  matters.  By  this  means 
unity  of  faith  and  worship  was  preserved  among 
the  people  of  God. 

Now  the  Jewish  synagogue,  as  St.  Paul  testi- 
fies, was  the  type  and  figure  of  the  Christian 
Church;  for  ''all  these  things  happened  to  them  (the 
Jews)  in  figure."^  We  must,  therefore,  find  in 
the  Church  of  Christ  a  spiritual  judge,  exereising 
the  same  supreme  authority  as  the  High  Priest 
wielded  in  the  Old  Law.  For  if  a  supreme  Pon- 
tiff was  necessary,  in  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  to 
maintain  purity  and  uniformity  of  worship,  the 
same  dignitary  is  equally  necessary  now  to  pre- 
serve unity  of  faith. 

Every  well-regulated  civil  government  has  an 
acknowledged  head.  The  President  is  the  head 
of  the  United  States  Government.  Queen  Vic- 
toria is  the  ruler  of  Great  Britain.  The  Sultan 
sways  the  Turkish  Empire.  If  these  nations  had 
no  authorized  leader  to  govern  them  they  would 
be  reduced  to  the  condition  of  a  mere  mob,  and 
anarchy,  confusion  and  civil  war  would  inevitably 
follow,  as  recently  happened  to  France  after  the 
fall  of  Napoleon  III. 

Even  in  every  well-ordered  family,  domestic 
peace  requires  that  someone  preside. 

Now,  the  Church  of  Christ  is  a  visible  society-^ 

»©eut  xvii,  'I.  Cor.  x.  11. 


THE  PRIMACY  OF  PETER  97 

tliat  is,  a  society  composed  of  human  beings.  She 
has,  it  is  true,  a  spiritual  end  in  view ;  but  having 
to  deal  with  men,  she  must  have  a  government 
as  well  as  every  other  organized  society.  This 
government,  at  least  in  its  essential  elements,  our 
Lord  must  have  established  for  His  Church.  For 
was  Pie  not  as  wise  as  human  legislators'?  And 
shall  we  suppose  that,  of  all  lawgivers,  the  Wis- 
dom Incarnate  alone  left  His  Kingdom  on  earth 
to  be  governed  without  a  head? 

But  someone  will  tell  me:  ''We  do  not  deny 
that  the  Church  has  a  head.  God  himself  is  its 
Euler."  This  is  evading  the  real  question.  Is 
not  God  the  Euler  of  all  governments  ?  ' '  By  Me, ' ' 
He  says,  ''kings  reign,  and  lawgivers  decree  just 
things."  ^  He  is  the  recognized  Head  of  our  Re- 
public, and  of  every  Christian  family  in  the  land ; 
but,  nevertheless,  there  is  always  presiding  over 
the  country  a  visible  chief,  who  represents  God 
on  earth. 

In  like  manner  the  Church,  besides  an  invisible 
Head  in  heaven,  must  have  a  visible  head  on 
earth.  The  body  and  members  of  the  Church  are 
visible;  why  not  also  the  Head?  The  Church  with- 
out a  supreme  Ruler  would  be  like  an  army  with- 
out a  general,  a  navy  without  an  admiral,  a  sheep- 
fold  without  a  shepherd,  or  like  a  human  body 
without  a  head. 

The  Christian  communities  separated  from  the 
Catholic  Church  deny  that  Peter  received  any  au- 
thority over  the  other  Apostles,  and  hence  they 
reject  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

The  absence  from  the  Protestant  communions 
of  a  Divinely  appointed,  visible  Head  is  to  them 
an  endless  source  of  weakness  and  dissension.  It 
is  an  insuperable  barrier  against  any  hope  of  a 

iProv.  viii.  15. 


98  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

permanent  reunion  among  themselves,  because 
they  are  left  without  a  common  rallying  centre  or 
basis  of  union  and  are  placed  in  an  unhappy  state 
of  schism. 

The  existence,  on  the  contrary,  of  a  supreme 
judge  of  controversy  in  the  Catholic  Church  is 
the  secret  of  her  admirable  unity.  This  is  the  key- 
stone that  binds  together  and  strengthens  the  im- 
perishable arch  of  faith. 

From  the  very  fact,  then,  of  the  existence  of  a 
supreme  Head  in  the  Jewish  Church;  from  the 
fact  that  a  Head  is  always  necessary  for  civil  gov- 
ernment, for  families  and  corporations;  from  the 
fact,  especially,  that  a  visible  Head  is  essential  to 
the  maintenance  of  unity  in  the  Church,  while  the 
absence  of  a  Head  necessarily  leads  to  anarchy, 
we  are  forced  to  conclude,  even  though  positive 
evidence  were  wanting,  that,  in  the  establishment 
of  His  Church,  it  must  have  entered  into  the  mind 
of  the  Divine  Lawgiver  to  place  over  it  a  primate 
invested  with  superior  judicial  powers. 

But  have  we  any  positive  proof  that  Christ  did 
appoint  a  supreme  Ruler  over  His  Cliurch?  To 
those,  indeed,  who  read  the  Scriptures  with  the 
single  eye  of  pure  intention  the  most  abundant 
evidence  of  this  fact  is  furnished.  To  my  mind 
the  New  Testament  establishes  no  doctrine,  unless 
it  satisfies  every  candid  reader  that  our  Lord 
gave  plenipotentiary  powers  to  Peter  to  govern 
the  whole  Church.  In  this  chapter  I  shall  speak 
of  the  Promise,  the  Institution,  and  the  exercise 
of  Peter's  Primacy,  as  recorded  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament. The  next  chapter  shall  be  devoted  to  its 
perpetuity  in  the  Popes. 

Promise  of  the  Primacy.  Our  Saviour,  on  a  cer- 
tain occasion,  asked  His  disciples,  saying:  ''Whom 
ao  men  say  that  the  Son  of  Man  is?    And  they 


THE  PRIMACY  OF  PETER  99 

said:  Some  say  that  Thou  art  John  the  Baptist; 
and  others,  Elias;  and  others,  Jeremiah,  or  one 
of  the  Prophets.  Jesus  saith  to  them :  But  whom 
do  ye  say  that  I  am?"  Peter,  as  usual,  is  the 
leader  and  spokesman.  ''Simon  Peter  answering, 
said:  Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 
And  Jesus  answering  said  to  him:  Blessed  art 
thou,  Simon  Bar-Jona:  because  flesh  and  blood 
hath  not  revealed  it  to  thee,  but  My  Father  who 
is  in  heaven.  And  I  say  to  thee:  that  thou  art 
Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 
And  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on 
earth  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven;  and  whatso- 
ever thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  lae  loosed  also 
in  heaven."^  Here  we  find  Peter  confessing  the 
Divinity  of  Christ,  and  in  reward  for  that  con- 
fession he  is  honored  with  the  promise  of  the 
Primacy. 

Our  Savior,  by  the  words  "thou  art  Peter," 
clearly  alludes  to  the  new  name  which  He  Himself 
had  conferred  upon  Simon,  when  He  received  him 
into  the  number  of  His  followers  (John  i.  42); 
and  He  now  reveals  the  reason  for  the  change  of 
name,  which  was  to  insinuate  the  honor  He  was  to 
confer  on  him,  by  appointing  him  President  of 
the  Christian  Republic;  just  as  God,  in  the  Old 
Law,  changed  Abram's  name  to  Abraham,  when 
He  chose  him.  to  be  the  father  of  a  mighty  nation. 

The  word  Peter,  in  the  Syro-Chaldaic  tongue, 
which  our  Savior  spoke,  means  a  rock.  The  sen- 
tence runs  thus  in  that  language:  ''Thou  art  a 
rock,  and  on  this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church.'* 
Indeed,  all  respectable  Protestant  commentators 
have  now  abandoned,  and  even  ridicule,  the  ab- 

iMatt.  xvi.  13-19. 


100  THE  FAITH  OF  OUH  FATHERS 

surdity  of  applying  tlie  word  roch  to  anyone  but 
to  Peter;  as  tlie  sentence  can  bear  no  other  con- 
struction, unless  our  Lord's  good  grammar  and 
common  sense  are  called  in  question. 

Jesus,  our  Lord,  founded  but  one  Churcli,  wliich 
He  was  pleased  to  build  on  Peter.  Therefore,  any 
church  that  does  not  recognize  Peter  as  its  founda- 
tion stone  is  not  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  there- 
fore cannot  stand,  for  it  is  not  the  work  of  God. 
This  is  plain.  Would  to  God  that  all  would  see  it 
aright  and  with  eyes  free  from  prejudice. 

He  continues:  "And  I  will  give  to  thee  the 
keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven, ' '  etc.  In  ancient 
times,  and  particularly  among  the  Hebrew  people, 
kej^s  were  an  emblem  of  jurisdiction.  To  affirm 
that  a  man  had  received  the  keys  of  a  city  was 
equivalent  to  the  assertion  that  he  had  been  ap- 
pointed its  governor.  In  the  Book  of  Revelation 
our  Savior  says  that  He  has  "the  keys  of  death 
and  of  hell,"*  which  means  that  He  is  endowed 
with  power  over  death  and  hell.  In  fact,  even  to 
this  day  does  not  the  presentation  of  keys  convey 
among  ourselves  the  idea  of  authority?  If  the 
proprietor  of  a  hojise,  on  leaving  it  for  the  sum- 
mer, says  to  any  friend:  "Here  are  the  keys  of 
my  house,"  would  not  this  simple  declaration, 
without  a  word  of  explanation,  convey  the  idea, 
"I  give  JOM  full  control  of  my  house;  you  may 
admit  or  exclude  whom  you  please ;  you  represent 
me  in  my  absence?"  Let  us  now  apply  this  inter- 
pretation to  our  Redeemer's  words.  When  He 
says  to  Peter:  "I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys,"  etc.. 
He  evidently  means:  I  will  give  the  supreme  au- 
thority over  My  Church,  which  is  the  citadel  of 
faith.  My  earthly  Jerusalem.  Thou  and  thy  suc- 
cessors shall  be  My  visible  representatives  to  the 

^Rev.  i.  18. 


THE  PEIMACY  OF  PETER  101 

end  of  time.  And  be  it  remembered  that  to  Peter 
alone,  and  to  no  other  Apostle,  were  these  solemn 
words  addressed. 

Fulfillment  of  the  Promise.  The  promise  which 
our  Eedeemer  made  of  creating  Peter  the  supreme 
Ruler  of  His  Church  is  fulfilled  in  the  following 
passage:  ''Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter:  Simon, 
son  of  John,  lovest  thou  Me  more  than  these  ?  He 
saith  to  Him:  Yea,  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I 
love  Thee.  He  saith  to  him:  Feed  My  lambs. 
He  saith  to  him  again :  Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest 
thou  Me?  He  saith  to  Him:  Yea,  Lord,  Thou 
know'ist  that  I  love  Thee.  He  saith  to  him :  Feed 
My  Iambs.  He  saith  to  him  the  third  time :  Simon, 
son  of  John,  lovest  thou  Mel  Peter  was  grieved 
because  He  had  said  to  him  the  third  time :  Lov- 
est thou  Me  ?  And  he  said  to  Him :  Lord,  Thou 
knowest  all  things.  Thou  knowest  that  I  love 
Thee.    He  said  to  him :    Feed  My  sheep. ' '  ^ 

These  words  were  addressed  by  our  Lord  to 
Peter  after  His  resurrection.  The  whole  sheep- 
fold  of  Christ  is  confided  to  him,  without  any  ex- 
ception or  limitation.  Peter  has  jurisdiction  not 
only  over  the  lambs — the  weak  and  tender  portion 
of  the  flock — by  which  are  understood  the  faith- 
ful; but  also  over  the  sheep,  i.  e.,  the  Pastors 
themselves,  who  hold  the  same  relations  to  their 
congregations  that  the  sheep  hold  to  the  lambs, 
because  they  bring  forth  unto  Jesus  Christ,  and 
nourish  the  spiritual  lambs  of  the  fold.  To  other 
Pastors  a  certain  portion  of  the  flock  is  assigned ; 
to  Peter  the  entire  fold;  for,  never  did  Jesus  say 
to  any  other  Apostle  or  Bishop  what  He  said  to 
Peter:    Feed  My  whole  flock. 

Candid  reader,  do  you  not  profess  to  be  a  mem- 
ber of  Christ's  flock?    Yes,  you  answer.    Do  you 

*J©hii  xxi.  15 -17. 


102  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

take  your  spiritual  food  from  Peter  and  his  suc- 
cessor, and  do  you  hear  the  voice  of  Peter,  or 
have  you  wandered  into  the  fold  of  strangers  who 
spurn  Peter 's  voice  ?  Ponder  well  this  momentous 
question.  For  if  Peter  is  authorized  to  feed  the 
lambs  of  Christ's  flock,  the  lambs  should  hear 
Peter's  voice. 

Exercise  of  the  Primacy.  In  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  which  contain  almost  the  only  Scripture 
narrative  that  exists  of  the  Apostles  subsequent 
to  our  Lord's  ascension,  St.  Peter  appears  before 
us,  like  Saul  among  the  tribes,  standing  head  and 
shoulders  over  his  brethren  by  the  prominent  part 
he  takes  in  every  ministerial  duty. 

The  first  twelve  chapters  of  the  Acts  are  de- 
voted to  Peter  and  to  some  of  the  other  Apostles, 
the  remaining  chapters  being  chiefly  occupied  with 
the  labors  of  the  Apostles  of  the  Gentiles.  In 
that  brief  historical  fragment,  as  well  as  in  the 
Gospels,  the  name  of  Peter  is  everywhere  pre- 
eminent. 

Peter's  name  always  stands  first  in  the  list  of 
the  Apostles,  while  Judas  Iscariot  is  invariably 
mentioned  last.^  Peter  is  even  called  by  St. 
Matthew  the  first  Apostle.  Now  Peter  was  first 
neither  in  age  nor  in  priority  of  election,  his  elder 
brother  Andrew  having  been  chosen  before  him. 
The  meaning,  therefore,  of  the  expression  must 
be  that  Peter  was  first  not  only  in  rank  and  honor, 
but  also  in  authority. 

Peter  is  the  first  Apostle  who  performed  a  mira- 
cle.2  He  is  the  first  to  address  the  Jews  in  Jeru- 
salem while  his  Apostolic  brethren  stand  respect- 
fully around  him,  upon  which  occasion  he  con- 
verts three  thousand  souls. ^ 

'Matt.  X.  2;  Mark  iii.  16;  Luke  vi.  14;  Acts  1.  14. 
*Actsiii.  'Actsii. 


THE  PEIMACY  OF  PETER  103 

Peter  is  the  first  to  make  converts  from  the 
Gentile  world  in  the  persons  of  Cornelius  and  his 
friends.* 

"IVhen  there  is  question  of  electing  a  successor 
to  Judas  Peter  alone  speaks.  He  points  out  to 
the  Apostles  and  disciples  the  duty  of  choosing 
another  to  succeed  the  traitor.  The  Apostles  si- 
ilently  acquiesce  in  the  instructions  of  their  leader.- 

In  the  Apostolic  Council  of  Jerusalem  Peter  is 
the  first  whose  sentiments  are  recorded.  Before 
his  discourse  ''there  was  much  disputing."  But 
when  he  had  ceased  to  speak  ''all  the  multitude 
held  tkeii'  peace. ' '  ^ 

St.  James  and  the  other  Apostles  concur  in  the 
sentiments  of  Peter  without  a  single  dissenting 
voice. 

St.  James  is  cast  into  prison  by  Herod  and  af- 
terward beheaded.  He  was  one  of  the  three  most 
favored  Apostles.  He  was  the  cousin  of  our  Lord 
and  brother  of  St.  John.  He  was  most  dear  to 
the  faithful.  Yet  no  extraordinary  efforts  are 
made  by  the  faithful  to  rescue  him  from  death. 

Peter  is  imprisoned  about  the  same  time.  The 
whole  Church  is  aroused.  Prayers  for  his  de- 
liverance ascend  to  heaven,  not  only  from  Jersu- 
■salem  but  also  from  every  Christian  family  in  the 
land.^ 

The  army  of  the  Lord  can  afford  to  lose  a  chief- 
tain in  the  person  of  James,  but  it  cannot  yet 
spai-e  the  commander-in-chief.  The  enemies  of  the 
Church  had  hoped  that  the  destruction  of  the  chief 
shepherd  would  involve  the  dispersion  of  the 
whole  flock;  therefore  they  redoubled  their  fury 
against  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  just  as  her 
modem  enemies  concentrate  their  shafts  against 

*Acts  X.  »Arfs  i. 

•Acts  XV.  *Acts  xli. 


104  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

the  Pope,  his  successor.  Does  not  this  incident 
eloquently  proclaim  Peter's  superior  authority? 
In  fact  Peter  figures  so  conspicuously  in  every 
page  that  his  Primacy  is  not  only  admissible,  but 
is  forced  on  the  judgment  of  the  impartial  reader. 

"What  are  the  principal  objections  advanced 
against  the  Primacy  of  Peter?  They  are  chiefly, 
I  may  say  exclusively,  confined  to  the  three  fol- 
lowing: First — That  our  Lord  rebuked  Peter. 
Second — That  St.  Paul  criticised  his  conduct  on 
a  point  not  affecting  doctrine,  but  discipline.  The 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  blames  St.  Peter  because 
he  withdrew  for  a  time  from  the  society  of  the 
Gentile  converts,  for  fear  of  scandalizing  the 
newly-converted  Jews.  *  Third — That  the  su- 
premacy of  Peter  conflicts  with  the  supreme  do- 
minion of  Christ. 

For  my  part  I  cannot  see  how  these  objections 
can  invalidate  the  claims  of  Peter.  Was  not  Jesus 
Peter's  superior?  May  not  a  superior  rebuke  his 
servant  without  infringing  on  the  servant's  pre- 
rogatives ? 

Ajid  why  could  not  St.  Paul  censure  the  conduct 
of  St.  Peter  without  questioning  that  superior's 
authority?  It  is  not  a  very  uncommon  thing  for 
ecclesiastics  occupying  an  inferior  position  in  the 
Church  to  admonish  even  the  Pope.  St.  Bernard, 
though  only  a  monk,  wrote  a  work  in  which,  with 
Apostolic  freedom,  he  administers  counsel  to  Pope 
Eugenius  III.,  and  cautions  him  against  the  dan- 
gers to  whiok  his  eminent  position  exposes  him. 
Yet  no  Man  had  more  reverence  for  any  Pope  than 
Bernard  had  for  this  great  Pontiff.  Cannot  our 
Governor  animadvert  upon  the  President's  con- 
duct without  impairing  the  President's  jurisdic- 
tion? 

'Gal.  ii.  11. 


THE  PRIMACY  OF  PETER  105 

Nay,  from  this  very  circumstance,  I  draw  a 
confirming  evidence  of  Peter's  supremacy.  St. 
Paul  mentions  it  as  a  fact  worthy  of  record  that 
he  actually  ivithstood  Peter  to  his  face.  Do  you 
think  it  would  be  worth  recording  if  Paul  had  re- 
buked James  or  John  or  Barnabas  ?  By  no  means. 
If  one  brother  rebukes  another,  the  matter  ex- 
cites no  special  attention.  But  if  a  son  rebukes 
his  father,  or  if  a  Priest  rebukes  his  Bishop  to  his 
face,  we  understand  why  he  would  consider  it  a 
fact  worth  relating.  Hence,  when  St.  Paul  goes 
to  the  trouble  of  telling  us  that  he  took  exception 
to  Peter's  conduct,  he  mentions  it  as  an  ex- 
traordinary exercise  of  Apostolic  freedom,  and 
leaves  on  our  mind  the  obvious  inference  that 
Peter  was  his  superior. 

In  the  very  same  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  St. 
Paul  plainly  insinuates  St.  Peter's  superior  rank. 
"I  went,"  he  says,  ''to  Jerusalem  to  see  Peter, 
and  I  tarried  with  him  fifteen  days."^  Saints 
Chrysostom  and  Ambrose  tell  ns  that  this  was  not 
an  idle  visit  of  ceremony,  but  that  the  object  ©f  St. 
Paul  in  making  the  journey  was  to  testify  his  re- 
spect and  honor  for  the  chief  of  the  Apostles.  St. 
Jerome  observes  in  a  humorous  vein  that  *'Paul 
went  not  to  behold  Peter's  eyes,  his  cheeks  or  his 
countenance,  whether  he  was  thin  or  stout,  with 
nose  straight  or  twisted,  covered  with  hair  or  bald, 
not  to  observe  the  outward  man,  hut  to  show  honor 
to  the  first  Apostle.'* 

There  are  others  who  pretend,  in  spite  of  our 
Lord's  declaration  to  the  contrary,  that  loyalty 
to  Peter  is  disloyalty  to  Christ,  and  that,^  l^y  ac- 
knowledging  Peter  as  the  rock  on  which  the 
Church  is  built,  we  set  our  Savior  aside.  So  far 
from  this  being  the  case,  we  acknowledge  Jesus 

iGal.  i.  18. 


106  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHEKS 

Otrist  as  the  "chief  cornerstone/'  as  well  as  the 
Bivine  Architect  of  the  huilding. 

The  true  test  of  loyalty  to  Jesns  is  not  only 
to  worship  Him,  but  to  venerate  even  the  rep- 
resentatives whom  He  has  chosen.  Will  anyone 
pretend  to  say  that  my  obedience  to  the  Gover- 
nor's appointee  is  a  mark  of  disrespect  to  the  Gov- 
ei-nor  himself?  I  think  our  State  Executive  would 
have  little  faith  in  the  allegiance  of  any  citizen 
who  would  say  to  him:  "Governor,  I  honor  you 
personally,  but  your  official's  order  I  shall  disre- 
gard. ' ' 

St.  Peter  is  called  the  first  Bishop  of  Rome 
because  he  transferred  his  see  from  Antioch  to 
Rome,  where  he  suffered  martyrdom  with  St.  Paul. 

We  are  not  surprised  that  modern  skepticism, 
which  rejects  the  Divinity  of  Christ  and  denies 
even  the  existence  of  God,  should  call  in  question 
the  fact  that  St.  Peter  lived  and  died  in  Rome. 

The  reason  commonly  alleged  for  disputing  this 
well-attested  event  is  that  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
make  no  mention  of  Peter's  labors  and  martyrdom 
in  Rome.  For  the  same  reason  we  might  deny 
that  St.  Paul  was  beheaded  in  Rome ;  that  St.  John 
died  in  Ephesus,  and  that  St.  Andrew  was  cruci- 
fied. The  Scripture  is  silent  regarding  these  his- 
torical records,  and  yet  they  are  denied  by  no  one. 

The  intrinsic  evidence  of  St.  Peter's  first  Epis- 
tle, the  testimony  of  his  immediate  successors  in 
the  ministry,  as  well  as  the  avowal  of  eminent 
Protestant  commentators,  '\11  concur  in  fixing  the 
See  of  Peter  in  Rome. 

** Babylon,"  from  which  Peter  addresses  his 
first  Epistle,  is  understood  by  learned  annotators, 
Protestant  and  Catholic,  to  refer  to  Rome — the 
word  Babylon  being  symbolical  of  the  corruption 
then  prevailing  in  the  city  of  the  Caesars. 


THE  TRIMACY  OF  PETER  307 

Clement,  tlie  fourth  Bishop  of  Rome,  who  is 
mentioned  in  terms  of  praise  by  St.  Paul ;  St.  Igna- 
tius, Bishop  of  Antioch,  who  died  in  105;  Irenaeus, 
Origen,  St.  Jerome,  Eusebius,  the  great  historian, 
and  other  eminent  writers  testify  to  St.  Peter's 
residence  in  Rome,  while  no  ancient  ecclesiastical 
writer  has  ever  contradicted  the  statement. 

John  Calvin,  a  witness  above  suspicion;  Cave, 
an  able  Anglican  critic;  Grotius  and  other  distin- 
guished Protestant  writers,  do  not  hesitate  to  re- 
echo the  unanimous  voice  of  Catholic  tradition. 

Indeed,  no  historical  fact  will  escape  the  shafts 
of  incredulity,  if  St.  Peter's  residence  and  glorious 
martyrdom  in  Rome  are  called  in  question. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  SUPREMACY  OF  THE  POPES. 

^pHE  Chureli  did  not  die  with  Peter.  It  was 
L  destined  to  continue  till  the  end  of  time ;  con- 
sequently, whatever  official  prerogatives  were 
conferred  on  Peter  were  not  to  cease  at  his  death, 
but  were  to  be  handed  down  to  his  successors  from 
generation  to  generation.  The  Church  is  in  all 
ages  as  much  in  need  of  a  Supreme  Ruler  as  it 
was  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  Nay,  more;  as 
the  Church  is  now  more  widely  diffused  than  it 
was  then,  and  is  ruled  by  frailer  men,  it  is  more 
than  ever  in  need  of  a  central  power  to  preserve 
its  unity  of  faith  and  uniformity  of  discipline. 

Whatever  privileges,  therefore,  were  conferred 
on  Peter  which  may  be  considered  essential  to  the 
government  of  the  Church  are  inherited  by  the 
Bishops  of  Rome,  as  successors  of  the  Prince  of 
the  Apostles;  just  as  the  constitutional  powers 
given  to  George  Washington  have  devolved  on 
the  present  incumbent  of  the  Presidential  chair. 

Peter,  it  is  true,  besides  the  prerogatives  inher- 
ent in  his  office,  possessed  also  the  gift  of  inspira- 
tion and  the  power  of  working  miracles.  These 
two  latter  gifts  are  not  claimed  by  the  Pope,  as 
they  were  personal  to  Peter  and  by  no  means  es- 
sential to  the  government  of  the  Church.  God 
acts  toward  His  Church  as  we  deal  with  a  tender 
sapling.    When  we  first  plant  it  we  water  it  an^^ 

108 


THE  SUPEEMACY  OP  THE  POPES         109 

soften  the  clay  about  its  roots.  But  wlien  it  takes 
deep  root  we  leave  it  to  the  care  of  Nature's  laws. 
In  like  manner,  when  Christ  first  planted  His 
Church  He  nourished  its  infancy  by  miraculous 
agency ;  but  when  it  grew  to  be  a  tree  of  fair  pro^ 
portions  He  left  it  to  be  governed  by  the  general 
laws  of  His  Providence. 

From  what  I  have  said  you  can  easily  infer 
that  the  arguments  in  favor  of  Peter's  Primacy 
have  equal  weight  in  demonstrating  the  supremacy 
of  the  Popes. 

As  the  present  question,  however,  is  a  subject  of 
vast  importance,  I  shall  endeavor  to  show,  from 
incontestable  historical  evidence,  that  the  Popes 
have  always,  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles.,  con- 
tinued to  exercise  supreme  jurisdiction  not  only  in 
the  Western  Church  till  the  Reformation,  but  also 
throughout  the  Eastern  Church  till  the  great 
schism  of  the  ninth  century. 

j^irst — Take  the  question  of  appeals.  An  appeal 
is  never  made  from  a  superior  to  an  inf erie-r  court, 
nor  even  from  one  court  to  another  of  co-ordinate 
jurisdiction.  We  do  not  appeal  from  Washing- 
ton to  Richmond,  but  from  Richmond  to  Washing- 
ton. Now,  if  we  find  the  See  of  Rome  from  the 
foundation  of  Christianity  entertaining  and  decid- 
ing cases  of  appeal  from  the  Oriental  churches^ 
if  we  find  that  her  decision  was  final  and  irrevoca- 
ble, we  must  conclude  that  the  supremacy  of  Rom(» 
over  all  the  churches  is  an  imdeniable  faet. 

Let  me  give  you  a  few  illustrations : 

To  begin  with  Pope  St.  Clement,  who  was  the 
third  successor  of  St.  Peter,  and  who  is  laudably 
mentioned  by  St.  Paul  in  one  of  his  Epistles.^  Some 
dissension  and  scandal  having  occurred  in  the 
church  of  C@rinth,  the  matter  is  brought  to  the 
notice  of  Pope  Clement.    He  at  once  exercises  his 


110  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHEES 

supreme  authority  by  writing  letters  of  remon- 
strance and  admonition  to  the  Corinthians.  And 
so  great  was  the  reverence  entertained  for  these 
Epistles  by  the  faithful  of  Corinth  that,  for  a 
century  later,  it  was  customary  to  have  them  pub- 
licly read  in  their  churches.  Why  did  the  Cor- 
inthians appeal  to  Rome,  far  away  in  the  West, 
and  not  to  Ephesus,  so  near  home  in  the  East, 
where  the  Apostle  St.  John  still  lived?  Evidently 
because  the  jurisdiction  of  Ephesus  was  local, 
while  that  of  Kome  was  universal. 

About  the  year  190  the  question  regarding  the 
proper  day  for  celebrating  Easter  was  agitated  in 
the  East,  and  referred  to  Pope  St.  Victor  I.  The 
Eastern  Church  generally  celebi'ated  Easter  on 
the  day  on  which  the  Jews  kept  the  Passover, 
while  in  the  West  it  was  observed  then,  as  it  is 
now,  on  the  first  Sunday  after  the  full  moon  of 
the  vernal  equinox.  St.  Victor  directs  the  East- 
ern churches,  for  the  sake  of  uniformity,  to  con- 
form to  the  practice  of  the  West,  and  his  instruc- 
tions are  universally  followed. 

St.  Cyprian,  Bishop  of  Carthage,  was  martyred 
in  258. 

From  his  appeals  to  Pope  St.  Cornelius  and  to 
Pope  St.  Stephen,  especially  on  the  subject  of  bap- 
tism, from  his  writings  and  correspondence,  as  well 
as  from  the  whole  tenor  of  his  administration,  it  is 
quite  evident  that  Cyprian,  as  well  as  the  African 
Episcopate,  upheld  the  supremacy  of  the  Bishop  of 
Kome. 

Pionysius,  Bishop  of  Rome,  about  the  middle  of 
the  third  century,  having  heard  that  the  Patriarch 
of  Alexandria  erred  on  some  points  of  faith,  de- 
mands an  explanation  of  the  suspected  Prelate, 
who,  in  obedience  to  his  superior,  promptly  vindi' 
cates  his  own  orthodoxy. 


THE  SUPREMACY  OP  THE  POPES        111 

St.  Athanasius,  the  great  patriarch  of  Alexan- 
dria, appeals  in  the  fourth  century  to  Pope  Julius 
I.  fi^om  an  unjust  decision  rendered  against  him 
by  the  Oriental  Bishops,  and  the  Pope  ^  reverses  the 
sentence  of  the  Eastern  Council. 

St.  Basil,  Archbishop  of  Caesarea,  In  the  same 
century  has  recourse  in  his  afflictions  to  the  pro- 
tection of  Pope  Damasus. 

St.  John  Chrysostom,  Patriarch  of  Constanti- 
nople, appeals  in  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century 
to  Pope  Innocent  I.  for  a  redress  of  grievances  in- 
flicted on  him  by  several  Eastern  Prelates,  and  by 
the  Empress  Eudoxia  of  Constantinople. 

St.  Cyril  appeals  to  Pope  Celestine  against  Nes- 
torius;  Nestorius,  also,  appeals  to  the  same  Pon- 
tiff, who  takes  the  side  of  Cyril. 

In  a  Synod  held  in  444,  St.  Hilary,  Archbishop  of 
Aries,  in  Gaul,  deposed  Celidonius,  Bishop  of  Bes» 
ancon,  on  the  ground  of  an  alleged  canonical  im- 
pediment to  his  consecration.  The  Bishop  ap< 
pealed  to  the  Holy  See,  and  both  he  and  the  Metro- 
politan personally  repaired  to  Rome,  to  submit 
their  cause  to  the  judgment  of  Pope  Leo  the  Great. 
After  a  careful  investigation,  the  Pontiff  declared 
the  sentence  of  the  Synod  invalid,  revoked  the  cen- 
sure, and  restored  the  deposed  Prelate  to  his  See. 

The  same  Pontiff  also  rebuked  Hilary  for  having 
irregularly  deposed  Projectus  from  his  See. 

The  judicial  authority  of  the  Pope  is  emphasized 
from  the  circumstance  that  Hilary  was  not  an  ar- 
rogant or  a  rebellious  churchman,  but  an  edifying 
and  a  zealous  Prelate.  He  is  revered  by  the  whole 
Church  as  a  canonized  Saint,  and  after  his  death, 
Leo  refers  to  him  a^  "^Tilary  of  happy  memory, 

1  Socrates*  Ecclesiastical  History.  B,  II.,  c.  xv. 


112  THE  FAITH  OE  OUPt  FATHERS 

Thedoret,  the  illustrious  liistoriau  and  Bislioj. 
of  Cyrrhus,  is  condemned  by  the  pseudo-council  of 
Ephesus  in  449,  and  appeals  to  Pope  Leo  in  the  fol- 
lowing touching  language:  "I  await  the  decision 
of  your  Apostolic  See,  and  I  supplicate  your  Holi- 
ness to  succor  me,  who  invoke  your  righteous  and 
just  tribunal;  and  to  order  me  to  hasten  to  you, 
and  to  explain  to  you  my  teaching,  which  follows 
the  steps  of  the  Apostles.  ...  I  beseech  you  not 
to  scorn  my  application.  Do  not  slight  my  gray 
hairs.  .  .  .  Above  all,  I  entreat  you  to  teach  me 
whether  to  put  up  with  this  unjust  deposition  or 
not;  for  I  await  your  sentence.  If  you  bid  me 
rest  in  what  has  been  determined  against  me,  I 
will  rest,  and  will  trouble  no  man  more.  I  will 
look  for  the  righteous  judgment  of  our  God  and 
Savior.  To  me,  as  Almighty  God  is  my  Judge, 
honor  and  glory  are  no  object,  but  only  the  scan- 
dal that  has  been  caused ;  for  many  of  the  simpler 
sort,  especially  those  whom  I  have  rescued  from 
diverse  heresies,  considering  the  See  which  has 
condemned  me,  suspect  that  perhaps  T  really  am  a 
heretic,  being  incapable  themselves  of  distinguish- 
ing accuracy  of  doctrine.'**  Leo  declared  the 
deposition  invalid  and  Theoderet  was  restored  to 
his  See. 

John,  Abbot  of  Constantinople,  appeals  from 
the  decision  of  the  Patriarch  of  that  city  to  Pope 
St.  Gregory  L,  who  reverses  the  sentence  of  the 
Patriarch. 

In  859  Photius  addressed  a  letter  to  Pope 
Nicholas  I.,  asking  the  Pontiff  to  confirm  his  elec- 
tion to  the  Patriarchate  of  Constantinople.  In 
consequence  of  the  Pope's  conscientious  refusal 
Photius  broke  off  from  the  communion  of  the 
Catholic  Church  and  became  the  author  of  the 
Greek  schism. 
JEpist  113. 


THE  SUPREMACY  OF  THE  POPES        113 

Here  are  a  few  examples  taken  at  random  from 
Cliurcli  History.  We  see  Prelates  most  eminent 
for  their  sanctity  and  learning  occupying  the  high- 
est position  in  the  Eastern  Church,  and  conse- 
quently far  removed  from  the  local  influences  of 
Rome,  appealing  in  every  period  of  the  early 
Church  from  the  decisions  of  their  own  Bishops 
and  their  Councils  to  the  supreme  c^rbitration  of 
the  Holy  See.  If  this  does  not  constitute  superior 
jurisdiction,  I  have  yet  to  learn  what  superior  au- 
thority means. 

Second — Christians  of  every  denomination  ad- 
mit the  orthodoxy  of  the  Fathers  of  the  first  five 
centuries  of  the  Church.  No  one  has  ever  called 
in  question  the  faith  of  such  men  as  Basil,  Chry- 
sostom,  Cyprian,  Augustine,  Jerome,  Ambrose  and 
Leo.  They  were  the  acknowledged  guardians  of 
pure  doctrine,  and  the  living  representatives  ''of 
the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  Saints."  They  were 
to  the  Church  in  their  generation  what  Peter  and 
Paul  and  James  were  to  the  Church  in  its  infancy. 
We  instinctively  consult  them  about  the  faith  of 
those  times;  for,  to  whom  shall  we  go  for  the 
Words  of  eternal  life,  if  not  to  them? 

Now,  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  with  one  voice, 
pay  homage  to  the  Bishops  of  Rome  as  their  su- 
periors. The  limited  space  I  have  allowed  myself 
in  this  little  volume  will  not  permit  me  to  give 
any  extracts  from  their  writings.  The  reader  who 
may  be  unacquainted  with  the  original  language 
of  the  Fathers,  or  who  has  not  their  writings  at 
hand,  is  referred  to  a  work  entitled,  ''Faith  of 
Catholics, ' '  where  he  will  find,  in  an  English  trans  ^ 
lation,  copious  extracts  from  their  writings  vindi  • 
eating  the  Primacy  of  the  Popes. 

Third — Ecwnenical  Councils  afford  another  elo- 
quent vindication  of  Papal  supremacy.    An  Ecu- 


114  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

menical  or  General  Council  is  an  assemblage  of 
Prelates  representing  the  whole  Catholic  Church. 
A  General  Council  is  to  the  Church  what  the  Ex- 
ecutive and  Legislative  bodies  in  Washington  are 
to  the  United  States. 

Up  to  the  present  time  nineteen  Ecumenical 
Councils  have  been  convened,  including  the  Coun- 
cil of  the  Vatican.  The  last  eleven  were  held  in 
the  West,  and  the  first  eight  in  the  East,  I  shall 
pass  over  the  Western  Councils,  as  no  one  denies 
that  they  were  subject  to  the  authority  of  the 
Pope. 

I  shall  speak  briefly  of  the  important  influence 
which  the  Holy  See  exercised  in  the  eight  Oriental 
Councils. 

The  first  General  Council  was  held  in  Nicaea, 
in  325;  the  second,  in  Constantinople,  381;  the 
third,  in  Ephesus,  in  431;  the  fourth,  in  Chalee- 
don,  in  451;  the  fifth,  in  Constantinople,  in  553; 
the  sixth  in  the  same  city,  in  680;  the  seventh,  in 
Nicsee,,  in  787,  and  the  eighth,  in  Constantinople, 
in  869. 

The  Bishops  of  Rome  convoked  these  assem- 
blages, or  at  least  consented  to  their  convocation; 
they  presided  by  their  legates  over  all  of  them, 
except  the  first  and  second  Councils  of  Constan- 
tinople, and  they  confirmed  all  these  eight  by  their 
authority.  Before  becoming  a  law  the  Acts  of  the 
Councils  required  the  Pope's  signature,  just  as 
our  Congressional  proceedings  require  the  Presi- 
dent's signature  before  they  acquire  the  force  of 
law. 

Is  not  this  a  striking  illustration  of  the  Pri- 
macy ?  The  Pope  convenes,  rules  and  sanctions  the 
Synods,  not  by  courtesy,  but  by  right.  A  digni- 
tary who  calls  an  assembly  together,  who  presides 
over  its  deliberations,  whose  signature  is  essen- 


THE  SUPREMACY  OP  THE  POPES        115 

tial  for  confirming  its  Acts  has  surely  a  higher 
authority  than  the  other  members. 

Fourth — I  shall  refer  to  one  more  historical 
point  in  support  of  the  Pope's  jurisdiction  over 
the  whole  Church.  It  is  a  most  remarkable  fact 
that  every  nation  hitherto  converted  from  Pagan- 
ism to  Christianity  since  the  days  of  the  Apostles, 
has  received  the  light  of  faith  from  missionaries 
who  were  either  especially  commissioned  hy  the 
See  of  Rome,  or  sent  hy  Bishops  in  open  commu- 
nion with  that  See.  This  historical  fact  admits  of 
no  exception.    Let  me  particularize. 

Ireland's  Apostle  is  St.  Patrick.  Who  commis- 
sioned him?  Pope  St.  Celestine,  in  the  fifth  cen- 
tury. 

St.  Palladius  is  the  Apostle  of  Scotland.  Who 
sent  him?    The  same  Pontiff,  Celestine. 

The  Anglo-Saxons  received  the  faith  from  St. 
Augustine,  a  Benedictine  monk,  as  all  historians, 
Catholic  and  non-Catholic,  testify.  Who  empow- 
ered Augustine  to  preach?  Pope  Gregory  I.,  at 
the  end  of  the  sixth  century. 

St.  Remigius  established  the  faith  in  France,  at 
the  close  of  the  fifth  century.  He  was  in  active 
communion  with  the  See  of  Peter. 

Flanders  received  the  Gospel  in  the  seventh  cen- 
tury from  St.  Eligius,  who  acknowledged  the  su- 
premacy of  the  reigning  Pope. 

Germany  and  Bavaria  venerate  as  their  Apostle 
St.  Boniface,  who  is  popularly  known  in  his  native 
England  by  his  baptismal  name  of  Winfrid.  He 
was  commissioned  by  Pope  Gregory  II.,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  eighth  century,  and  was  consecrated 
Bishop  by  the  same  Pontiff. 

In  the  ninth  century  two  saintly  brothers,  Cyril 
and  Methodius,  evangelized  Russia,  Selavonia, 
Moravia   and   other  parts   of  Northern*  Europe. 


Iia  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FxVTHERS 

They  recognized  the  supreme  authority  of  Pope 
Nicholas  I.  and  of  his  successors,  Adrian  II.  and 
John  VIII. 

In  the  eleventh  century  Norway  was  converted 
by  missionaries  introduced  from  England  by  the 
Norweigian  King,  St.  Olave. 

The  conversion  of  Sweden  was  consummated  in 
the  same  century  by  the  British  Apostles  Saints 
IJlfrid  and  Eski'll.  "^Both  of  these  nations  imme- 
diately after  their  conversion  commenced  to  pay 
Romescot,  or  a  small  annual  tribute  to  the  Holy 
See — a  clear  evidence  that  they  were  in  commu- 
nion with  the  Chair  of  Peter.^ 

All  the  other  nations  of  Europe,  having  been 
converted  before  the  Eeformation,  received  like- 
wise the  light  of  faith  from  Roman  Catholic  Mis- 
sionaries, because  Europe  then  recognized  only 
one  Christian  Chief. 

Passing  from  Europe  to  Asia  and  America,  it 
is  undeniable  that  St.  Francis  Xavier  and  the  other 
Evangelists  who,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  ex- 
tended the  Kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  through 
India  and  Japan,  were  in  communion  with  the 
Holy  See;  and  that  those  Apostles  who,  in  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  converted  the 
aboriginal  tribes  of  South  America  and  Mexico  re- 
ceived their  commission  from  the  Chair  of  Peter. 

But  you  will  say:  The  people  of  the  United 
States  profess  to  be  a  Christian  nation.  Do  you 
also  claim  them?  Most  certainly;  for,  even  those 
American  Christians  who  are  unhappily  severed 
from  the  Catholic  Church  are  primarily  indebted 
for  their  knowledge  of  the  Gospel  to  missionaries 
in  communion  with  the  Holy  See. 

The  white  races  of  North  America  are  descended 
from  England,  Ireland,  Scotland  and  the  nations 

1  See  Butler's  Lives  of  the  Saints— St.  Olave,  July  29th. 


THE  SUPREMACY  OF  THE  POPES        117 

of  Continental  Europe.  Those  European  nations 
having  been  converted  by  missionaries  in  subjec- 
tion to  the  Holy  See,  it  follows  that,  from  what- 
ever part  of  Europe  you  are  descended,  whatever 
may  be  your  particular  creed,  you  are  indebted 
to  the  Church  of  Rome  for  your  knowledge  of 
Christianity. 

Do  not  these  facts  demonstrate  the  Primacy  of 
the  Pope?  The  Apostles  of  Europe  and  of  other 
countries  received  their  authority  from  Rome.  Is 
not  the  power  that  sends  an  ambassador  greater 
than  he  who  is  sent? 

Thus  we  see  that  the  name  of  the  Pope  is  in- 
delibly marked  on  every  page  of  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory. The  Sovereign  Pontiff  ever  stands  before 
us  as  commander-in-chief  in  the  grand  army  of 
the  Church.  Do  the  bishops  of  the  East  feel  them- 
selves aggrieved  at  home  by  their  Patriarchs  or 
civil  Rulers?  They  look  for  redress  to  Rome,  as 
to  the  star  of  their  hope.  Are  the  Fathers  and 
Doctors  of  the  early  Church  consulted?  With 
one  voice  they  all  pay  homage  to  the  Bishop  of 
Rome  as  to  their  spiritual  Prince.  Is  an  Ecumeni- 
cal Council  to  be  convened  in  the  East  or  West? 
The  Pope  is  its  leading  spirit.  Are  new  nations 
to  be  converted  to  the  faith?  There  is  the  Holy 
Father  clothing  the  missionaries  with  authority, 
and  giving  his  blessing  to  the  work.  Are  new  er- 
rors to  be  condemned  in  any  part  of  the  globe? 
All  eyes  turn  toward  the  oracle  of  Rome  to  await 
Ms  anathema,  and  his  solemn  judgment  reverber- 
ates throughout  the  length  and  breath  of  the  Chris- 
tian world. 

"You  might  as  well  shut  out  the  light  of  day 
and  the  air  of  heaven  from  your  daily  walks  as 
exclude  the  Po]:»e  from,  his  legitimate  sphere  in  the 
hierarchy  of  the  Church.    -  The  history   of  the 


118  THE  PAITH  OF  OUR  PATHERS 

United  States  with  the  Presidents  left  out  would 
be  more  intelligible  than  the  history  of  the  Church 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ.  How,  I 
ask,  could  such  authority  endure  so  long  if  it  were 
a  usurpation  1 

But  you  will  tell  me:  *'The  supremacy  of  the 
Pope  has  been  disputed  in  many  ages."  So  has 
the  authority  of  God  been  called  in  question — nay, 
His  very  existence  has  been  denied;  for,  *Hhe  fool 
hath  said  in  his  heart  there  is  no  God."^  Does 
this  denial  destroy  the  existence  and  dominion  of 
God?  Has  not  parental  authority  been  impugned 
from  the  beginning?  But  by  whom?  By  unruly 
children.  Was  David  no  longer  king  because  Ab- 
salom said  so? 

It  is  thus  also  with  the  Popes.  Their  parental 
sway  has  been  opposed  only  by  their  undutiful 
sons  who  grew  impatient  of  the  Gospel  yoke. 
Photius,  the  leader  of  the  Greek  schism,  was  an 
obedient  son  of  the  Pope  until  Nicholas  refused 
to  recognize  his  usurped  authority.  Henry  VIII. 
was  a  stout  defender  of  the  Pope 's  supremacy  un- 
til Clement  VII.  refused  to  legalize  his  adultery. 
Luther  professed  a  most  abject  submission  to  the 
Pope  till  Leo  X.  condemned  him. 

You  cannot,  my  dear  reader,  be  a  loyal  citizen 
of  the  United  States  while  you  deny  the  constitu- 
tional authority  of  the  President.  You  have  seen 
that  the  Bishop  of  Rome  is  appointed  not  by  man, 
but  by  Jesus  Christ,  President  of  the  Chrisjfeian 
commonwealth.  You  cannot,  therefore,  be  a  true 
citizen  of  the  Republic  of  the  Church  so  long  as 
you  spurn  the  legitimate  supremacy  of  its  Di- 
vinely constituted  Chief.  ''He  that  is  not  with 
Me  is  against  Me,"  says  our  Lord,  ''and  he  that 
gathereth  not  with  Me  scattereth."    How  can  you 

IPs,  111. 


THE  SUPREMACY  OF  TKE  POPES         119 

be  with  Christ  if  you  are  against  His  Vicar? 

The  great  evil  of  our  times  is  the  unhappy  di- 
vision existing  among  the  professors  of  Christian- 
ity, and  from  thousands  of  hearts  a  yearning  cry 
goes  forth  for  unity  of  faith  and  union  of  churches. 

It  was,  no  doubt,  with  this  laudable  view  that 
the  Evangelical  Alliance  assembled  in  New  York 
in  the  fall  of  1873.  The  representatives  of  the 
different  religious  communions  hoped  to  effect  a 
reunion.  But  they  signally  and  lamentably  failed. 
Indeed,  the  only  result  which  followed  from  the 
alliance  was  the  creation  of  a  new  sect  under  the 
auspices  of  Dr.  Cummins.  That  reverend  gentle- 
man, with  the  characteristic  modesty  of  all  re- 
ligious reformers,  was  determined  to  have  a  hand 
in  improving  the  work  of  Jesus  Christ;  and,  like 
the  other  reformers,  he  said,  with  those  who  built 
the  tower  of  Babel:  "Let  us  make  our  name 
famous  before"^  our  dust  is  scattered  to  the  wind. 

The  Alliance  failed,  because  its  members  had  no 
common  platform  to  stand  on.  There  was  no  voice 
in  that  assembly  that  could  say  with  authority: 
"Thus  saith  the  Lord." 

I  heartily  join  in  this  prayer  for  Christian  unity, 

and  gladly  would  surrender  my  life  for  such  a 

consummation.    But  I  tell  you  that  Jesus  Christ 

has  pointed  out  the  only  means  by  which  this  unity 

can  be  maintained,  viz:  the  recognition  of  Peter 

and  his  successors  as  the  Head  of  the  Church. 

Build  upon  this  foundation  and  you  will  not  erect 

a  tower  of  Babel,  nor  build  upon  sand.    If  all 

Christian  sects  were  united  with  the  centre  of 

unity,  then  the  scattered  hosts  of  Christendom 

would  form  an  army  which  atheism  and  infidelity 

could  not  long  withstand.    Then,  indeed,  all  could 

exclaim  with  Balaam:    "How  beautiful  are  thy 
iGen.  xi.  4. 


120  THE  PAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

tabernacles,  0  Jacob,  and  thy  tents,  0  Israel!"^ 
Let  us  pray  that  the  day  may  be  hastened  when 
religions  dissensions  will  cease;  when  all  Chris- 
tians will  advance  with  united  front,  under  one 
common  leader,  to  plant  the  cross  in  every  region 
and  win  new  kingdoms  to  Jesus  Christ. 


Numb.  xxiv.  S. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

INFALLIBILITY  OF  THE  POPES. 

AS  the  doctrine  of  Papal  Infallibilitj  is 
strangely  misapprehended  by  our  sepa- 
rated brethren,  because  it  is  grievously 
misrepresented  by  those  who  profess  to  be  er 
lightened  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  I  shall  begin 
by  stating  what  Infallibility  does  not  mean,  and 
shall  then  explain  what  it  really  is. 

First— The  infallibility  of  the  Popes  does  not 
signify  that  they  are  inspired.  The  Apostles  were 
endowed  with  the  gift  of  inspiration,  and  we  ac- 
cept their  writings  as  the  revealed  Word  of  God. 

No  Catholic,  on  the  contrary,  claims  that  the 
Pope  is  inspired  or  endowed  with  Divine  revela- 
tion properly  so  called. 

''For  the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  promised  to  the 
successors  of  Peter  in  order  that  they  might 
spread  abroad  new  doctrine  which  He  reveals,  but 
that,  under  His  assistance,  they  might  guard  in- 
violably, and  with  fidelity  explain,  the  revelation 
or  deposit  of  faith  handed  down  by  the  Apos- 
tles." ^ 

Second— Infallibility  does  not  mean  that  the 
Pope  is  impeccable  or  specially  exempt  from  lia- 
bility to  sin.  The  Popes  have  been,  indeed,  with 
few  exceptions,  men  of  virtuous  lives.  Many  of 
them  are  honored  as  martyrs.    Seventy-nine  out 

*  Cone.  Vat.  Const.    Paster  JEternus,  c.  4. 
121 


158  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

of  the  two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  that  sat  on  thd 
chair  of  Peter  are  invoked  upon  our  altars  as 
saints  eminent  for  their  holiness. 

The  avowed  enemies  of  the  Church  charge  only 
five  or  six  Popes  with  immorality.  Thus,  ever 
admitting  the  truth  of  the  accusations  brought 
against  them,  we  have  forty-three  virtuous  to  one 
bad  Pope,  while  there  was  a  Judas  Iscariot  among 
the  twelve  Apostles. 

But  although  a  vast  majority  of  the  Sovereign 
Pontiffs  should  have  been  so  unfortunate  as  to 
lead  vicious  lives,  this  circumstance  would  not  of 
itself  impair  the  validity  of  their  prerogatives, 
which  are  given  not  for  the  preservation  of  their 
morals,  but  for  the  guidance  of  their  judgment; 
for,  there  was  a  Balaam  among  the  Prophets,  and 
a  Caiphas  among  the  High  Priests  of  the  Old 
Law. 

The  present  illustrious  Pontiff  is  a  man  of  no 
ordinary  sanctity.  He  has  already  filled  the  high- 
est position  in  the  Church  for  upwards  of  thirty 
years,  "a  spectacle  to  the  world,  to  angels  and 
to  men,"  and  no  man  can  point  out  a  stain  upon 
his  moral  character. 

And  yet  Pius  IX.,  like  his  predecessors,  con- 
fesses his  sins  every  week.  Each  morning,  at  the 
beginning  of  Mass,  he  says  at  the  foot  of  the  altar, 
''I  confess  to  Almighty  God,  and  to  His  Saints, 
that  I  have  sinned  exceedingly  in  thought,  word 
and  deed."  And  at  the  Offertory  of  the  Mass 
he  says:  *' Receive,  0  Holy  Father,  almighty, 
everlasting  God,  this  oblation  which  I,  Thy  un- 
worthy servant,  offer  for  my  innumerable  sins, 
offences  and  negligences." 

With  these  facts  before  their  eyes,  I  cannot 
comprehend  how  ministers  of  the  Gospel  betray 
%o  much  ignorance,  or  are  guilty  of  so  much  malice, 


INFALLIBILITY  OF  THE  POPES  123 

as  to  proclaim  from  their  pulpits,  wliicli  onglit  to 
be  consecrated  to  truth,  that  Infallibility  means 
exemption  from  sin.  I  do  not  see  how  they  can 
benefit  their  cause  by  so  flagrant  perversions  of 
truth. 

Third — Bear  in  mind,  also,  that  this  Divine  as- 
sistance is  guaranteed  to  the  Pope  not  in  his  ca- 
pacity as  private  teacher,  but  only  in  his  official 
capacity,  when  he  judges  of  faith  and  morals  as 
Head  of  the  Church.  If  a  Pope,  for  instan<^e,  like 
Benedict  XIV.  were  to  write  a  treatise  on  Oanoa 
Law  his  book  would  be  as  much  open  to  criticism 
as  that  of  any  Doctor  of  the  Church. 

Fourth — Finally,  the  inerrability  of  the  Popes, 
being  restricted  to  questions  of  faith  and  morals, 
does  not  extend  to  the  natural  sciences,  such  as 
astronomy  or  geology,  unless  where  error  is  pre- 
sented under  the  false  name  of  science,  and  ar- 
rays itself  against  revealed  truth. ^  It  does  not, 
therefore,  concern  itself  about  the  nature  and  mo- 
tions of  the  planets.  Nor  does  it  regard  purely 
political  questions,  such  as  the  form  of  govern- 
ment a  nation  ought  to  adopt,  or  for  what  can- 
didates we  ought  to  vote. 

The  Pope's  Infallibility,  therefore,  does  not  in 
any  way  trespass  on  civil  authority;  for  the 
Pope's  jurisdiction  belongs  to  spiritual  matters, 
while  the  duty  of  the  State  is  to  provide  for  the 
temporal  welfare  of  its  subjects. 

What,  then,  is  the  real  doctrine  of  Infallibility? 
It  simply  means  that  the  Pope,  as  successor  of 
St.  Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  by  virtue  of 
the  promises  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  preserved  from 
error  of  judgment  when  he  promulgates  to  the 
Church  a  decision  on  faith  or  morals. 

The  Pope,  therefore,  be  it  known,  is  not  the 

*  Cone.  Vat.  Const.  Dei  Films,  cap.  4 ;  Coloss.  ii.  8. 


124  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

maker  of  the  Divine  law ;  he  is  only  its  exponnder. 
He  is  not  the  author  of  revelation,  but  only  its  in- 
terpreter. All  revelation  came  from  God  alone 
through  His  inspired  ministers,  and  it  was  com- 
plete in  the  beginning  of  the  Church.  The  Holy 
Father  has  no  more  authority  than  you  or  T  to 
break  one  iota  of  the  Scripture,  and  he  is  equally 
with  us  the  servant  of  the  Divine  law. 

In  a  word,  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  is  to  the 
Church,  though  in  a  more  eminent  degree,  what 
the  Supreme  Court  is  to  the  United  States.  "We 
have  an  instrument  called  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  which  is  the  charter  of  our  civil 
rights  and  liberties.  K  a  controversy  arise  regard- 
ing a  constitutional  clause,  the  question  is  referred 
in  the  last  resort,  to  the  Supreme  Court  at  Wash- 
ington. The  Chief  Justice,  with  his  associate 
judges,  examines  into  the  case  and  then  pronounces 
judgment  upon  it;  and  this  decision  is  final,  irre- 
vocable and  practically  infallible. 

If  there  were  no  such  court  to  settle  constitu- 
tional questions,  the  Constitution  itself  would  soon 
become  a  dead  letter.  Every  litigant  would  con- 
scientiously decide  the  dispute  in  his  own  favor 
and  anarchy,  separation  and  civil  war  would  soon 
follow.  But  by  means  of  this  Supreme  Court  dis- 
putes are  ended,  and  the  political  union  of  the 
States  is  perpetuated.  There  would  have  been  no 
civil  war  in  1861  had  our  domestic  quarrel  been 
submitted  to  the  legitimate  action  of  our  highest 
court  of  judicature,  instead  of  being  left  to  the 
arbitrament  of  the  sword. 

The  revealed  Word  of  God  is  the  constitution 
of  the  Church.  This  is  the  Magna  Cliarta  of  our 
Christian  liberties.    The  Pope  is  the  official  guar- 


IN"FALLTBILITY  OF  TTTE  POPES  125 

dlan  of  our  religious  constitution,  as  the  Chief 
Justice  is  the  guardian  of  our  civil  constitution. 

When  a  dispute  arises  in  the  Church  regarding 
the  sense  of  Scripture  the  subject  is  referred  to 
the  Pope  for  final  adjudication.  The  Sovereign 
Pontiff,  before  deciding  the  case,  gathers  around 
him  his  venerable  colleagues,  the  Cardinals  of  the 
Church;  or  he  calls  a  council  of  his  associate 
judges  of  faith,  the  Bishops  of  Christendom ;  or  he 
iias  recourse  to  other  lights  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
may  suggest  to  him.  Then,  after  mature  and 
prayerful  deliberation,  he  pronounces  judgment 
and  his  sentence  is  final,  irrevocable  and  infallible. 

If  the  Catholic  Church  were  not  fortified  by  this 
Divinely-established  supreme  tribunal,  she  would 
be  broken  up,  like  the  sects  around  her,  into  a 
thousand  fragments  and  religious  anarchy  would 
soon  follow.  But  by  means  of  this  infallible  court 
her  marvellous  unity  is  preserved  throughout  the 
world.  This  doctrine  is  the  keystone  in  the  arch 
of  Catholic  faith,  and,  far  from  arousing  opposi- 
tion, it  ought  to  command  the  unqualified  admira- 
tion of  every  reflecting  mind. 

These  explanations  being  premised,  let  us  now 
briefly  consider  the  grounds  of  the  doctrine  itself. 

The  following  passages  of  the  Gospel,  spoken 
at  different  times,  were  addressed  exclusively  to 
Peter:  "Thou  art  Peter;  and  on  this  rock  I  will 
build  My  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall^  not 
prevail  agamst  it."  ^  ''I,  the  Supreme  Architect 
of  the  universe,"  says  our  Savior,  ''will  establish 
a  Church  which  is  to  last  till  the  end  of  time.  I 
will  lay  the  foimdation  of  this  Church  so  deep 
and  strong  on  the  rock  of  truth  that  the  winds 
and  storms  of  error  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 
Thou,  0  Peter,  shalt  be  the  foimdation  of  this 

I  Matt.  xvi. 


126  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Church.  It  shall  never  fall,  because  thou  shalt 
never  be  shaken ;  and  thou  shalt  never  be  shaken, 
because  thou  shalt  rest  on  Me,  the  rock  of  truth.'* 
The  Church,  of  which  Peter  is  the  foundation,  is 
declared  to  be  impregnable — that  is,  proof  against 
error.  How  can  you  suppose  an  immovable  edi- 
fice built  on  a  tottering  foundation?  For  it  is  not 
the  building  that  sustains  the  foundation,  but  it  is 
the  foundation  that  supports  the  building. 

"And  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven."  ^  Thou  shalt  hold  the  keys  of 
truth  with  which  to  open  to  the  faithful  the  treas- 
ures of  heavenly  science.  ' '  Whatsoever  thou  shalt 
bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  also  in  Heaven. ' '  ^ 
The  judgment  which  thou  shalt  pronounce  on  earth 
I  will  ratify  in  heaven.  Surely  the  God  of  Truth 
is  incapable  of  sanctioning  an  untruthful  judg- 
ment. 

"Behold,  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you  (My 
Apostles),  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat.  But 
I  have  prayed  for  thee  (Peter)  that  thy  faith  fail 
not;  and  thou,  being  once  converted,  confirm  thy 
brethren."^  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Jesus 
prays  only  for  Peter.  And  why  for  Peter  in  par- 
ticular? Because  on  his  shoulders  was  to  rest 
the  burden  of  the  Church.  Our  Lord  prays  for 
two  things:  First — That  the  faith  of  Peter  and 
of  his  successors  might  not  fail.  Second — That 
Peter  would  confirm  his  brethren  in  the  faith,  ' '  m 
order,"  as  St.  Leo  says,  "that  the  strength  given 
by  Christ  to  Peter  should  descend  on  the  Apos- 
tles." 

We  know  that  the  prayer  of  Jesus  is  always 
heard.  Therefore  the  faith  of  Peter  will  always 
be  firm.  He  was  destined  to  be  the  oracle  which 
all  were  to  consult.    Hence  we  always  find  him  the 

1  ilntt.  xvi.  2  Ibid,  3  Luke  sxU.  31,  32. 


IXFALLTBILTTY  OF  THE  POPES  127 

prominent  figure  among  the  Apostles,  the  first  to 
speak,  the  first  to  act  on  every  occasion.  He  was 
to  be  the  guiding  star  that  was  to  lead  the  rest 
of  the  faithful  in  the  path  of  truth.  He  was  to 
be  in  the  hierarchy  of  the  Church  what  the  sun 
is  in  the  planetary  system — the  centre  around 
which  all  would  revolve.  And  is  it  not  a  beautiful 
spectacle,  in  harmony  with  our  ideas  of  God's 
providence,  to  behold  in  His  Church  a  counterpart 
of  the  starry  system  above  us?  There  every 
planet  moves  in  obedience  to  a  uniform  law,  all 
are  regulated  by  one  great  luminary.  So,  in  the 
spiritual  order,  we  see  every  member  of  the 
Church  governed  by  one  law,  controlled  by  one 
voice,  and  that  voice  subject  to  God. 

* '  Feed  My  lambs ;  feed  My  sheep. ' '  ^  Peter  is 
appointed  by  our  Lord  the  universal  shepherd  of 
His  flock — of  the  sheep  and  of  the  lambs — that 
is,  shepherd  of  the  Bishops  and  Priests  as  well 
as  of  the  people.  The  Bishops  are  shepherds,  in 
reference  to  their  flocks ;  they  are  sheep,  in  refer- 
ence to  the  Pope,  who  is  the  shepherd  of  shep- 
herds. The  Pope,  as  shepherd,  must  feed  the  flock 
not  with  the  jDoison  of  error,  but  with  the  healthy 
food  of  sound  doctrine;  for  he  is  not  a  shepherd, 
but  a  hireling,  who  administers  pernicious  food 
to  his  flock. 

Among  the  General  Councils  of  the  Church  al- 
ready held  I  shall  mention  only  three,  as  the  acts 
of  these  Councils  are  amply  sufficient  to  vindicate 
the  unerring  character  of  the  See  of  Kome  and 
the  Eoman  Pontiffs.  I  wish  also  to  call  your 
attention  to  three  facts:  First — That  none  of 
these  Councils  were  held  in  Rome,;  Second — That 
one  of  them  assembled  in  the  East,  viz:  in  Con- 
stantinople; and,  Third — That  in  every  one  of 

*Jobn  sxi.  16,  17, 


1.3R  THE  FAITH  OF  OTTR  FATHERS 

them  the  Oriental  and  the  Western  Bishops  met 
for  the  purpose  of  reunion. 

The  Eighth  General  Council,  held  in  Constanti- 
nople in  869,  contains  the  following  solemn  pro- 
fession of  faith:  ''Salvation  primarily  depends 
upon  guarding  the  rule  of  right  faith.  And  since 
we  cannot  pass  over  the  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  says,  'Thou  art  Peter,  and  on  this 
rock  I  will  buiid  My  Church,'  what  was  said  is 
confirmed  by  facts,  because  in  the  Apostolic  See 
the  Catholic  religion  has  always  been  preserved 
immaculate,  and  holy  doctrine  has  been  pro- 
claimed. Not  wishing,  then,  to  be  separated  from 
this  faith  and  doctrine,  we  hope  to  merit  to  be  in 
the  one  communion  which  the  Apostolic  ^  See 
preaches,  in  which  See  is  the  full  and  true  solidity 
of  the  Christian  religion." 

This  Council  clearly  declares  that  immaculate 
doctrine  has  always  been  preserved  and  preached 
in  the  Roman  See.  But  how  could  this  be  said  of 
her,  if  the  Eoman  See  ever  fell  into  error,  and  how 
could  that  See  be  preserved  from  error,  if  the 
Roman  Pontiffs  presiding  over  it  ever  erred  in 
faith? 

In  the  Second  General  Council  of  Lyons  (1274), 
the  Greek  Bishops  made  the  following  profession 
of  faith:  "The  holy  Eoman  Church  possesses  full 
primacy  and  principality  over  the  universal  Cath- 
olic Church,  which  primacy,  with  the  plenitude  of 
power,  she  truly  and  humbly  acknowledges  to 
have  received  from  our  Lord  Himself,  in  the  per- 
son of  Blessed  Peter,  Prince  or  Head  of  the  Apos- 
tles, whose  successor  the  Roman  Pontiff  is;  and 
as  the  Eoman  See,  above  all  others,  is  boimd  to 
defend  the  truth  of  faith,  so,  also,  if  any  ques- 
tions on  faith  arise,  they  ought  to  he  defined  hy 
her  judgment," 


INFALLIBILITY  OF  THE  POPES  129 

Here  the  Council  of  Lyons  avows  that  the  Ro- 
man Pontiffs  have  the  power  to  determine  defi- 
nitely, and  without  appeal,  any  questions  of  faith 
which  may  arise  in  the  Church;  in  other  words, 
the  Council  acknowledges  them  to  be  the  supreme 
and  infallible  arbiters  of  faith. 

''We  define,"  says  the  Council  of  Florence 
(1439),  at  which  also  were  present  the  Bishops 
of  the  Greek  and  the  Latin  Church,  "we  define 
that  the  Roman  Pontiff  is  the  successor  of  the 
Blessed  Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  and  the 
true  Vicar  of  Christ,  the  Head  of  the  whole 
Church,  the  Father  and  Doctor  of  all  Christians, 
and  we  declare  that  to  him,  in  the  person  of 
Blessed  Peter,  was  given,  by  Jesus  Christ  our 
Savior,  full  power  to  feed,  rule  and  govern  the 
universal  Church. ' ' 

The  Pope  is  here  called  the  trtie  Vicar  or  repre- 
sentative of  Christ  in  this  lower  kingdom  of  His 
Church  militant — that  is,  the  Pope  is  the  organ  of 
our  Savior,  and  speaks  His  sentiments  in  faith 
and  morals.  But  if  the  Pope  erred  in  faith  and 
morals  he  would  no  longer  be  Christ's  Vicar  and 
true  representative.  Our  minister  in  England,  for 
instance,  would  not  truly  represent  our  Govern- 
ment if  he  was  not  the  organ  of  its  sentiments. 
The  Reman  Pontiff  is  called  the  Head  of  the  whole 
Church — that  is,  the  visible  Head.  Now  the 
Church,  which  is  the  Body  of  Christ,  is  infallible. 
It  is,  as  St.  Paul  sa^^s,  "without  spot  or  wrinkle, 
or  any  such  thing."  But  how  can  you  suppose 
an  infallible  body  with  a  fallible  head?  How  can 
an  erring  head  conduct  a  body  in  the  unerring 
ways  of  truth  and  justice? 

He  is  declared  by  the  same  Council  to  be  the 
Father  and  Doctor  of  all  Christians.  How  can 
you  expect  an  unerring  family  under  an  erring 


130  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Father  ?  The  Pope  is  called  the  universal  teacher 
or  doctor.  Teacher  of  what?  Of  truth,  not  of 
error.  Error  is  to  the  mind  what  poison  is  to  the 
body.  You  do  not  call  poison  food;  neither  can 
you  call  error  doctrine.  The  Pope,  as  universal 
teacher,  must  always  give  to  the  faithful  not  the 
poisonous  food  of  error,  but  the  sound  aliment  of 
pure  doctrine. 

In  fine,  the  Pope  is  also  styled  the  Chief  Pilot 
of  the  Church.  It  was  not  without  a  mysterious 
significance  that  our  Lord  entered  Peter's  bark 
instead  of  that  of  any  of  the  other  Apostles.  This 
bark,  our  Lord  has  pledged  Himself,  shall  never 
sink  nor  depart  from  her  true  course.  How  can 
you  imagine  a  stormproof,  never-varying  bark  un- 
der the  charge  of  a  fallible  Pilot? 

But  did  not  the  Vatican  Council  in  promulgating 
the  definition  of  Papal  Infallibility  in  1870,  create  a 
new  doctrine  of  revelation!  And  did  not  the 
Church  thereby  forfeit  her  glorious  distinction  of 
being  always  unchangeable  in  her  teaching? 

The  Council  did  not  create  a  new  creed,  but 
rather  confirmed  the  old  one.  It  formulated  into 
an  article  of  faith  a  truth  which  in  every  age  had 
been  accepted  by  the  Catholic  world  because  it  had 
been  implicitly  contained  in  the  deposit  of  revela- 
tion. 

I  may  illustrate  this  point  by  referring  again  to 
our  Supreme  Court.  When  the  Chief  Justice,  with 
his  colleagues,  decides  a  constitutional  question 
his  decision,  though  presented  in  a  new  shape,  can- 
not be  called  a  new  doctrine,  because  it  is  based  on 
the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  Constitution. 

In  like  manner,  when  the  Church  issues  a  new 
dogma  of  faith,  that  decree  is  nothing  more  than 
a  new  form  of  expressing  an  old  doctrine,  because 
the  decision  must  be  drawn  from  the  revealed 
Word  of  God. 


IXFALLIBTLITY  OF  THE  POPES  IDl 

Tlie  course  pursued  by  the  Churcli,  regarding 
tlie  infallibility  of  tlie  Pope  was  practiced  by  lier 
in  reference  to  tlie  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  Our 
Savior  was  acknowledged  to  be  God  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Church.  Yet  His  Divinity  was  not 
formally  defined  till  the  Council  of  Nicaea  in  the 
fourth  century,  and  it  would  not  have  been  defined 
even  then  had  it  not  been  denied  by  Arius.  And 
who  will  have  the  presumption  to  say  that  the  be- 
lief in  the  Divinity  of  our  Lord  had  its  origin  in 
the  fourth  century? 

The  following  has  always  been  the  practice  pre- 
vailing in  the  Church  of  God  from  the  beginning 
of  her  history.  Whenever  Bishops  or  National 
Councils  promulgated  doctrines  or  condemned  er- 
rors they  always  transmitted  their  decrees  to 
Rome  for  confirmation  or  rejection.  What  Rome 
approved,  the  universal  Church  approved;  what 
Rome  condemned,  the  Church  condemned. 

Thus,  in  the  third  century,  Pope  St.  Stephen 
reverses  the  decision  of  St.  Cyprian,  of  Carthage, 
and  of  a  council  of  African  bishops  regarding  a 
question  of  baptism. 

Pope  St.  Innocent  I.,  in  the  fifth  century,  con- 
demns the  Pelagian  heresy,  in  reference  to  which 
St.  Augustine  wrote  this  memorable  sentence: 
"The  acts  of  two  councils  were  sent  to  the  Apos- 
tolic See,  whence  an  answer  was  returned.  The 
question  is  ended.  Would  to  God  that  the  error 
also  had  ceased." 

In  the  fourteenth  century  Gregory  XI.  con- 
demns the  heresy  of  Wycliffe. 

Pope  Leo  X.,  in  the  sixteenth,  anathematizes 
Luther. 

Innocent  X.,  in  the  seventeenth,  at  the  solicita- 
tion of  the  French  Episcopate,  condemns  the  sub- 
tle errors  of  the  Jansenists,  and  in  the  nineteenth 


1.32  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

century  Pins  IX.  promulgates  the  doctrine  of  tlie 
Immaculate  Conception. 

Here  we  find  the  Popes  in  various  ages  con- 
demning heresies  and  proclaiming  doctrines  of 
faith;  and  they  could  not  in  a  stronger  manner 
assert  their  infallibility  than  by  so  defining  doc- 
trines of  faith  and  condemning  errors.  We  also 
behold  the  Church  of  Christendom  ever  saying 
Amen  to  the  decisions  of  the  Bishops  of  Rome. 
Hence  it  is  evident  that,  in  every  age,  the  Church 
recognized  the  Popes  as  infallible  teachers. 

Every  independent  government  must  have  a  su- 
preme tribunal  regularly  sitting  to  interpret  its 
laws,  and  to  decide  cases  of  controversy  likely  to 
arise.  Thus  we  have  in  Washington  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States. 

Now  the  Catholic  Church  is  a  complete  and  in- 
dependent organization,  as  complete  in  its  spirit- 
ual sphere  as  the  United  States  Government  is  in 
the  temporal  order.  The  Church  has  its  own  laws, 
its  own  autonomy  and  government. 

The  Church,  therefore,  like  civil  powers,  must 
have  a  permanent  and  stationary  supreme  tribunal 
to  interpret  its  laws  and  to  determine  cases  of 
religious  controversy. 

What  constitutes  this  permanent  supreme  court 
of  the  Church?  Does  it  consist  of  the  Bishops 
assembled  in  General  Council?  No;  because  this 
is  not  an  ordinary  but  an  extraordinary  tribun-al 
which  meets,  on  an  average,  only  once  in  a  hun- 
dred years. 

Is  it  composed  of  the  Bishops  scattered  through- 
out the  world?  By  no  means,  because  it  would  be 
impracticable  to  consult  all  the  Bishops  of  Chris- 
tendom upon  every  issue  that  might  arise  in  the 
Church.  The  poison  of  error  would  easily  spread 
through  the  body  of  the  Church  before  a  decision 


INFALLIBILITY  OF  THE  POPES  133 

could  be  rendered  by  the  Prelates  dispersed 
throughout  the  globe.  The  Pope,  then,  as  Head 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  constitutes,  with  just  rea- 
son, this  supreme  tribunal. 

And  as  the  office  of  the  Church  Is  to  guide  men 
into  all  truth,  and  to  preserve  them  from  all  error, 
it  follows  that  he  who  is  appointed  to  watch  over 
the  constitution  of  the  Church  must  be  infallible, 
or  exempt  from  error  in  his  official  capacity  as 
judge  of  faith  and  morals.  The  prerogatives  of 
the  Pope  must  be  commensurate  with  the  nature 
of  the  constitution  which  he  has  to  uphold.  The 
constitution  is  Divine  and  must  have  a  Divinely 
protected  interpreter. 

But  you  will  tell  me  that  infallibility  is  too 
great  a  prerogative  to  be  conferred  on  man.  I 
answer:  Has  not  God,  in  former  times,  clothed 
His  Apostles  with  powers  far  more  exalted  ?  They 
were  endowed  with  the  gifts  of  working  miracles, 
of  prophecy  and  inspiration;  they  were  the  mouth- 
piece communicating  God's  revelation,  of  which 
the  Popes  are  merely  the  custodians.  If  God  could 
make  man  the  organ  of  His  revealed  Word,  is  it 
impossible  for  Him  to  make  man  its  infallible  guar- 
dian and  interpreter!  For,  surely,  greater  is  the 
Apostle  who  gives  us  the  inspired  Word  than  the 
Pope  who  preserves  it  from  error. 

If,  indeed,  our  Saviour  had  visibly  remained 
among  us,  no  interpreter  would  be  needed,  since 
He  would  explain  His  Gospel  to  us;  but  as  He  with- 
drew His  visible  presence  from  us,  it  was  eminent- 
ly reasonable  that  He  should  designate  someone  to 
expound  for  us  the  meaning  of  His  Word. 

A  Protestant  Bishop,  in  the  course  of  a  sermon 
against  Papal  Infallibility,  recently  used  the  fol- 
lowing language:    ''For  my  part.  I  have  an  in- 


134  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

fallible  Bible,  and  this  is  the  only  infallibility  that 
I  require."  This  assertion,  though  plausible  at 
first  sight,  cannot  for  a  moment  stand  the  test  of 
sound  criticism. 

Let  us  see,  sir,  whether  an  infallible  Bible  is 
sufficient  for  you.  Either  you  are  infallibly  cer- 
tain that  your  interpretation  of  the  Bible  is  cor- 
rect or  you  are  not. 

If  you  are  infallibly  certain,  then  you  assert 
for  yourself,  and  of  course  for  every  reader  of  the 
Scripture,  a  personal  infallibility  which  you  deny 
to  the  Pope,  and  which  we  claim  only  for  him. 
You  make  every  man  his  own  Pope. 

If  you  are  not  infallibly  certain  that  you  under- 
stand the  true  meaning  of  the  whole  Bible — and 
this  is  a  privilege  you  do  not  claim — then,  I  ask, 
of  what  use  to  you  is  the  objective  infallibility  of 
the  Bible  without  an  infallible  interpreter! 

If  God,  as  you  assert,  has  left  no  infallible  in- 
terpreter of  His  Word,  do  you  not  virtually  accuse 
Him  of  acting  unreasonably?  for  would  it  not  be 
most  unreasonable  in  Him  to  have  revealed  His 
truth  to  man  without  leaving  him  a  means  of  as- 
certaining its  precise  import? 

Do  you  not  reduce  God's  word  to  a  bundle  of 
contradictions,  like  the  leaves  of  the  Sybil,  which 
gave  forth  answers  suited  to  the  wishes  of  every 
inquirer  ? 

Of  the  hundred  and  more  Christian  sects  now 
existing  in  this  country,  does  not  each  take  the 
Bible  as  its  standard  of  authority,  and  does  not 
each  member  draw  from  it  a  meaning  different 
from  that  of  his  neighbor?  Now,  in  the  mind  of 
God  the  Scriptures  can  have  but  one  meaning.  Is 
not  this  variety  of  interpretations  the  bitter  fruit 
of  your  principle:  ''An  infallible  Bible  is  enough 
for  me,"  and  does  it  not  proclaim  the  absolute 


INFALLIBILITY  OF  THE  POPES  135 

necessity  of  some  authorized  and  unerring  inter- 
preter? You  tell  me  to  drink  of  the  water  of  life; 
but  of  what  use  is  this  water  to  my  parched  lips, 
since  you  acknowledge  that  it  may  be  poisoned  in 
passing  through  the  medium  of  your  interpreta- 
tion* 

How  satisfactory,  on  the  contrary,  and  how  rea- 
sonable is  the  Catholic  teaching  on  this  subject ! 

According  to  that  system,  Christ  says  to  every 
Christian:  Here,  my  child,  is  the  Word  of  God, 
and  with  it  I  leave  you  an  infallible  interpreter, 
who  will  expound  for  you  its  hidden  meaning  and 
make  clear  all  its  difficulties. 

Here  are  the  waters  of  eternal  life,  but  I  have 
created  a  channel  that  will  communicate  these 
waters  to  you  in  all  their  sweetness  without  sedi- 
ment of  error. 

Here  is  the  written  Constitution  of  My  Church. 
But  I  have  appointed  over  it  a  Supreme  Tribunal, 
in  the  person  of  one  "to  whom  I  have  given  the 
keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  who  will  pre- 
serve that  Constitution  inviolate,  and  will  not  per- 
mit it  to  be  torn  into  shreds  by  the  conflicting 
opinions  of  men.  And  thus  my  children  will  be 
one,  as  I  and  the  Father  are  one. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TEMPORAL  POWER  OF  THE  POPES— HOW  THEY  ACQUIRED 

TEMPORAL  POWER— VALIDITY  AND  JUSTICE  OF 

THEIR  TITLE— WHAT  THE  POPES  HAVE 

DONE  FOR  ROME. 

I. 

HOW  THE  POPES  ACQUIRED  TEMPORAL  POWER. 

OR  the  clearer  understanding  of  the  origin  and 
the  gradual  growth  of  the  Temporal  Power  of 
the  Popes,  we  may  divide  the  history  of  tho 
Church  into  three  great  epochs. 

The  first  embraces  the  period  which  elapsed 
from  the  establishment  of  the  Church  to  the  days 
of  Constantine  the  Great,  in  the  fourth  century; 
the  second,  from  Constantine  to  Charlemagne, 
who  was  crowned  Emperor  in  the  year  800;  the 
third,  from  Charlemagne  to  the  present  time. 

When  St.  Peter,  the  first  Pope  in  the  long,  un- 
broken line  of  Sovereign  Pontiffs,  entered  Italy 
and  Rome  he  did  not  possess  a  foot  of  ground 
which  he  could  call  his  own.  He  could  say  with 
his  Divine  Master:  "The  foxes  have  holes  and 
the  birds  of  the  air  nests,  but  the  Son  of  Man 
hath  not  whereon  to  lay  his  head."  ^  The  Apos- 
tle died  as  he  had  lived,  a  poor  man,  having  noth- 
ing at  his  death  save  the  affections  of  a  grateful 
people. 

» Matt.  viii.  20. 

136 


TEMPORAL  POWER  OP  TTTE  POPES        137 

But,  altliongh  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles  owned 
nothing  that  he  could  call  his  personal  property, 
he  received  from  the  faithful  large  donations  to 
be  distributed  among  the  needy.  For  in  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  we  are  told  that  ''neither  was  any- 
one among  them  (the  faithful)  needy;  for  as  many 
as  were  owners  of  lands  or  houses  sold  them,  and 
brought  the  prices  of  the  things  which  they  sold 
and  laid  them  before  the  feet  of  the  Apostles,  and 
distribution  was  made  to  everyone  according  as 
he  had  need."  ^  Such  was  the  filial  attaclunent  of 
the  early  Christians  towards  the  Pontiffs  of  the 
Church ;  such  was  the  confidence  reposed  in  their 
personal  integrity,  and  in  their  discretion  in  dis- 
pensing the  charity  of  the  faithful. 

During  the  first  three  hundred  years  the  Pas- 
tors of  the  Church  were  generally  incapable  of 
holding  real  estate  in  Rome ;  for  Christianity  was 
yet  a  proscribed  religion,  and  the  faithful  were 
exposed  to  the  most  violent  and  unrelenting  per- 
secutions that  have  ever  darkened  the  annals  of 
history. 

The  Christians  of  Rome  worshiped  for  the 
most  part  in  the  catacombs.  These  catacombs  are 
subterranean  chambers  and  passages  under  the 
city  of  Rome.  They  extend  for  miles  in  diiferent 
directions,  and  are  visited  to  this  day  by  thou- 
sands of  strangers.  Here  the  primitive  Christians 
prayed  together,  here  they  encouraged  one  an- 
other to  martyrdom,  here  they  died  and  were 
buried;  so  that  these  caverns  served  at  the  same 
time  as  temples  of  worship  for  the  living  and  as 
tombs  for  the  dead. 

At  last  Constantine  the  Great  brought  peace  to 
the  Church.  The  long  night  of  Pagan  persecution 
was  succeeded  by  the  bright  dawn  of  religious  lib- 

1  Acts  iv.  34,  35. 


138  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

erty,  and  as  our  Blessed  Savior  rose  triumphant 
from  the  grave,  after  having  lain  there  for  three 
days,  so  did  our  early  brethren  in  the  faith  emerge 
from  the  tombs  of  the  catacombs,  after  havingbeen 
buried,  as  it  were,  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  for 
three  centuries. 

Constantino  gave  to  the  Eoman  Church  munifi- 
cent donations  of  money  and  real  estate,  which 
were  augmented  by  additional  grants  contributed 
by  subsequent  emperors.  Hence  the  patrimony  of 
the  Eoman  Pontiffs  soon  became  very  consider- 
able. Voltaire  himself  tells  us  that  the  wealth 
which  the  Popes  acquired  was  spent  not  in  satis- 
fying their  own  avarice  and  ambition,  but  in  the 
most  laudable  works  of  charity  and  religion.  They 
expended  their  patrimony,  he  says,  in  sending  mis- 
sionaries to  evangelize  Pagan  Europe,  in  giving 
hospitality  to  exiled  Bishops  at  Rome  and  in  feed- 
ing the  poor.  And  I  may  here  add  that  succeed- 
ing Popes  have  generously  imitated  the  munifi- 
cence of  the  early  Pontiffs. 

An  event  occurred  in  the  reign  of  Constantino 
which  paved  the  way  for  the  partial  jurisdiction 
which  the  Roman  Pontiffs  commenced  to  enjoy 
over  Rome,  and  which  they  continued  to  exercise 
till  they  obtained  full  sovereignty  in  the  days  of 
King  Pepin  of  France. 

In  the  year  327  the  Emperor  Constantino  trans- 
ferred the  seat  of  empire  from  Rome  to  Constanti- 
nople, the  present  capital  of  Turkey.  The  city 
was  named  after  Constantino,  who  founded  it.  A 
subsequent  emperor  appointed  a  governor,  or 
exarch,  to  rule  Italy,  who  resided  in  the  city  of 
Ravenna.  This  new  system,  as  is  manifest,  did 
not  work  well.  The  Emperor  of  Constantinople 
referred  all  matters  to  his  deputy  in  Ravenna,  and 
the  deputy  was  more  anxious  to  conciliate  the 


TEMPORAL  POWER  OF  THE  POPES       139 

Emperor  than  to  satisfy  the  people  of  Rome. 
Italy  and  Rome  were  tlien  in  a  political  condition 
analogous  to  that  in  which  the  Irish  were  placed 
for  several  centuries. 

Abandoned  to  itself,  Rome  became  a  tempting 
prey  to  those  numerous  hordes  of  Barbarians  from 
the  North  that  then  devastated  Italy.  The  city 
was  successively  attacked  by  the  Goths  under 
Alaric,  and  by  the  Vandals  under  Genseric,  and 
was  threatened  by  the  Huns  under  Attila.  Unable 
to  obtain  assistance  from  the  Emperor^  in  the 
East,  or  the  Governor  at  Ravenna,  the  citizens  of 
Rome  looked  up  to  the  Popes  as  their  only  Gov- 
ernors and  protectors,  and  their  only  salvation  in 
the  dangers  which  threatened  them.  The  confi- 
dence which  they  reposed  in  the  Pontiffs  was  not 
misplaced.  The  Popes  were  not  only  devoted 
spiritual  Fathers,  but  firm  and  valiant  civil  Gov- 
ernors. When  Attila,  who  was  surnamed  *'the 
Scourge  of  God,"  approached  the  city  with  an 
army  of  500,000  men,  Pope  Leo  the  Great  went  out 
to  meet  him  unattended  by  troops.  His  mild  elo- 
quence disarmed  the  indomitable  chieftain  and  in- 
duced him  to  retrace  his  steps.  Thus  he  saved 
the  city  from  pillage  and  the  people  from  destruc- 
tion. The  same  Pope  Leo  also  confronted  Gense- 
ric, the  leader  of  the  Vandals;  and  although  he 
could  not  this  time  protect  Rome  from  the  plunder 
of  the  soldiers  he  saved  the  lives  of  the  citizens 
from  slaughter.  Such  acts  as  these  were  naturally 
calculated  to  bind  the  Roman  people  more  strongly 
to  the  Popes  and  to  alienate  them  from  their 
nominal  rulers. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  eighth  century  Leo 
Isauricus,  one  of  the  successors  of  Constantine  on 
the  imperial  throne,  not  content  with  his  civil  au- 
thority, endeavored,  like  Henry  VIH.,  to  usurp 


140  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

spiritual  jurisdiction,  aud,  like  the  same  English 
monarch,  sought  to  rob  the  people  of  their  time- 
honored  sacred  traditions.  A  civil  ruler  dabbling 
in  religion  is  as  reprehensible  as  a  clergyman  dab- 
bling in  politics.  Both  render  themselves  odious 
as  well  as  ridiculous.  The  Emperor  commanded 
all  paintings  of  our  Savior  and  His  saints  to  be  re- 
moved from  the  churches  on  the  assumption  that 
such  an  exhibition  was  an  act  of  idolatry.  Pope 
Gregory  II.  wrote  to  the  Emperor  an  energetic 
remonstrance,  reminding  him  that  "dogmas  of 
faith  are  to  be  interpreted  by  the  Pontiffs  of  the 
Church  and  not  by  emperors,"  and  begging  him 
to  spare  the  sacred  paintings.  But  the  Pope's 
remonstrance  and  entreaties  were  in  vain.  This 
conduct  of  the  Emperor  tended  to  widen  still  more 
the  breach  between  himself  and  the  Eoman  people. 

Soon  after  an  event  occurred  which  abolished 
forever  the  authority  of  the  Byzantine  Emperors 
in  Italy,  and  established  on  a  sure  and  lasting 
basis  the  temporal  sovereignty  of  the  Popes. 

In  754  Astolphus,  King  of  the  Lombards,  in- 
vaded Italy,  captured  some  Italian  cities  and 
threatened  to  advance  on  Eome. 

Pope  Stephen  IIL,^  who  then  ruled  the  Church, 
sent  an  urgent  appeal  to  the  Emperor  Constantino 
Copronymus,  successor  of  Leo  the  Isaurian,  im- 
ploring him  to  come  to  the  relief  of  Eome  and  his 
Italian  provinces.  The  Emperor  manifested  his 
usual  apathy  and  indifference  and  received  the 
message  with  coldness  and  neglect. 

In  this  emergency  Stephen,  who  sees  that  no 
time  is  to  be  lost,  crosses  the  Alps  in  person,  ajj- 

1  Sometimes  callerl  Stephen  II.,  as  Stephen,  his  predecessor, 
die<l  three  days  itter  his  election,  whose  name  is  omitted  isx 
some  calendars. 


TEMPORAL  POWER  OF  THE  POPES       14t 

proaches  Pepin,  King  of  France,  and  begs  that 
powerful  monarch  to  protect  the  Italian  people, 
who  were  utterly  abandoned  by  those  that  ought 
to  be  their  defenders.  The  pious  King,  after  pay- 
ing his  homage  to  the  Pope,  sets  out  for  Italy  with 
his  army,  defeats  the  invading  Lombards  and 
places  the  Pope  at  the  head  of  the  conquered 
provinces. 

Charlemagne,  the  successor  of  Pepin,  not  only 
confirms  the  grant  of  his  father,  but  increases  the 
temporal  domain  of  the  Pope  by  donating  him 
some  additional  provinces. 

This  small  piece  of  territory  the  Roman  Pontiffs 
continued  to  govern  from  that  time  till  1870,  with 
the  exception  of  brief  intervals  of  foreign  usurpa- 
tion. And  certainly,  if  ever  any  Prince  merited 
the  appellation  of  legitimate  sovereign,  that  title 
is  eminently  deserved  by  the  Bishops  of  Rome  . 

II. 

THE  VALIDITY  AND  JUSTICE  OF  THEIR  TITLE. 

There  are  three  titles  which  render  the  tenure  of 
a  Prince  honest  and  incontestable,  viz.,  long  pos- 
session, legitimate,  acquisition  and  a  just  use  of  the 
original  grant  confided  to  him.  The  Bishop  of 
Rome  possesed  his  temporality  by  all  these  titles. 

First — The  temporal  dominion  of  the  Pope  is 
most  ancient  in  point  of  time.  He  commenced,  as 
we  have  seen,  to  enjoj'-  full  sovereignty  about  the 
middle  of  the  eighth  century.  The  Pope  was,  con- 
sequently, a  temporal  ruler  for  upwards  of  1,100 
years.  The  Papal  d\Tiasty  is,  therefore,  the  oldest 
in  Europe,  and  probably  in  the  world.  The  Pope 
was  the  temporal  ruler  of  Rome  four  hundred 
years  before  England  subjugated  Ireland,  and 
seven  hundred  before  the  first  European  pressed 
his  foot  on  the  American  continent. 


143  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Second — ^His  civil  authority  was  establislied  not 
by  the  sword  of  conquest,  nor  the  violence  of  usur- 
pation. He  did  not  mount  the  throne  upon  the 
mins  of  outraged  liberties  or  violated  treaties;  but 
iie  was  called  to  rule  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  a 
grateful  people.  Always  the  devoted  spiritual 
Father  of  Rome,  he  providentially  became  its  civil 
defender;  and  the  temporal  i^ower  he  had  pos- 
sessed already  by  popular  suffrage  was  ratified 
and  sanctioned  by  the  sovereign  act  of  the  Frank- 
ish  monarch.  In  a  word,  the  ship  of  state  was  in 
danger  of  being  engulfed  beneath  the  fierce  waves 
of  foreign  invasion.  The  captain,  meantime,  folded 
his  arms  and  abandoned  the  ship  to  her  fate.  The 
Pope  was  called  to  the  helm  in  the  emergency,  and 
he  saved  the  vessel  from  shipwreck  and  the  people 
from  destruction.  Hence,  even  Gibbon,  the  English 
historian,  who  cannot  be  suspected  of  partiality, 
has  the  candor  to  use  the  following  language  in  dis- 
cussing this  subject:  ''Their  (the  Pope's)  temporal 
dominion  is  now  confirmed  by  the  reverence  of  a 
thousand  years,  and  their  noblest  title  is  the  free 
choice  of  a  people  whom  they  had  redeemed  from 
slavery. '  * 

Third — ^Wliat  is  the  use  or  advantage  of  the  tem- 
poral power  I  This  is  well  worth  considering,  as 
many  have  erroneous  notions  on  the  subject. 

The  object  is  not  to  aggrandize  or  enrich  the 
Pope.  He  ascends  the  Papal  chair  generally  an 
old  man,  when  human  passion  and  human  ambi- 
tion, if  any  did  exist,  are  on  the  wane.  His  per- 
sonal expenses  do  not  exceed  a  few  dollars  a  day. 
He  eats  alone  and  very  abstemiously.  He  has  no 
wife,  no  children  to  enrich  with  the  spoils  of  office, 
as  he  is  an  unmarried  maxu    The  Popedom  is  not 


TEMPORAL  POWER  OF  THE  POPES   14:^ 

hereditary,  like  tlie  sovereignty  of  England,  but 
elective,  like  the  office  of  our  President,  and  the 
Holy  Father  is  succeeded  by  a  Pontiff  to  whom  he 
was' bound  by  no  family  ties.  What  personal  mo- 
tive, therefore,  can  he  have  in  desiring  temporal 
sovereignty?  I  am  sure,  indeed,  that  if  the  Holy 
Father  were  to  consult  his  own  taste  and  feelings, 
he  would  much  rather  be  free  from  the  trammels 
of  civil  government.  But  he  has  higher  interests 
to  subserve.  He  must  vindicate  the  eternal  laws 
of  justice  which  have  been  violated  in  his  own 
person. 

As  the  Popes  were  not  actuated  by  a  love  of 
gain  in  possessing  temporal  dominion,  neither  had 
they  any  desire  to  enlarge  their  territory,  small  as 
it  was.  The  temporalities  of  the  Pope  were  not 
much  larger  than  the  State  of  Maryland  before  he 
was  deprived  of  them  by  Victor  Emmanuel  a  few 
years  ago. 

And  this  is  the  little  slice  of  land  which  Victor 
Emmanuel  wrested  from  the  Holy  Father.  This 
is  the  vineyard  which  the  modern  King  Achab 
wrung  from  the  unoffending  Naboth.  But  the 
Pontiff  answers,  like  Naboth  of  old :  ' '  The  Lord  be 
merciful  to  me,  and  not  let  me  give  thee  the  in- 
heritance of  my  fathers."  ^ 

This  is  the  little  ewe-lamb  which  the  modern 
David  has  snatched  from  Uriah,  its  legitimate 
owner.  The  royal  shepherd  of  Piedmont  had  al- 
ready seized  all  the  other  lambs  and  sheep  of  his 
neighbors ;  but  he  was  not  satisfied  till  he  added  to 
his  fold  the  solitary,  tender  lamb  of  the  Pope.  Let 
him  take  care,  however,  that  the  prophecy  de- 
nounced by  Nathan  against  David  fall  not  upon 
himself  and  his  posterity:  ''Why,  therefore,  hast 
thou  despised  the  word  of  the  Lord,  to  do  evil  in 

*  III.  Kings  xxi.  3. 


144  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

My  sight?  Therefore  the  sword  shall  never  de^ 
part  frorfl  thy  house,  because  thou  hast  depised 
Me.  Behold,  I  will  raise  up  evil  against  thee  out 
of  thy  own  house. ' '  * 

While  the  patrimony  of  the  Pope  was  large 
eneugh  to  secure  his  independence,  it  was  too  snaall 
to  provoke  the  fear  and  jealousy  of  foreign  pow- 
ers. The  authority  of  the  Eoman  Pontiffs  in  the 
Middle  Ages  was  almost  unbounded.  Had  they 
wished  then,  they  could  easily  have  increased  their 
territory ;  yet  they  were  content  with  what  Provi- 
dence placed  originally  in  their  hands.^ 

The  sole  end  of  the  temporal  power  has  been  to 
secure  for  the  Pope  independence  and  freedom  in 
the  government  of  the  Church.  The  Holy  Father 
must  be  either  a  sovereign  or  a  subject.  There  is 
no  medium.  If  a  subject,  he  might  become  either 
the  pliant  creature,  if  God  would  so  permit,  of  his 
royal  master,  like  the  schismatic  Patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople, who,  as  Gibbon  observed,  was  "a  do- 
mestic slave  under  the  eye  of  his  master,  at  whose 
nod  he  passed  from  the  convent  to  the  throne,  and 
from  the  throne  to  the  convent."  And,  indeed, 
the  Oriental  schismatic  Bishops  are  as  subservient 
now  as  they  were  then  to  their  temporal  rulers. 
Or,  what  is  far  more  probable,  the  Pope  might  be- 
come a  virtual  prisoner  in  his  own  house,  as  the 

*  II.  Kings  xii. 

*  I  dare  say  you  could  have  found,  a  few  years  since,  some 
persons  in  the  United  States  who  entertained  a  holy  fear  lest 
the  Pope  should  one  morning  land  upon  our  shores,  and  take 
forcible  possession  of  our  country.  A  venerable  clergyman  once 
informed  me  that  when  he  went  to  pay  his  respects  to  President 
Pierce,  who  then  occupied  the  White  House,  his  Excellency  re- 
marked to  him :  "I  had  a  visit  from  a  nervous  gentleman,  who 
asked  me  whether  I  was  making  any  preparations  to  resist  the 
approach  of  the  Pope.  I  replied  that  so  far  I  had  taken  nc 
steps,  but  that  no  doubt  I  would  be  prepared  to  meet  the  enemy 
when  he  arrived.  The  man  retired  more  composed,  though  not 
fully  satisfied." 


TEMPORAL  POWER  OF  THE  POPES       145 

present  illustrious  Pontiif  is  at  this  moment. 

The  Pope  is  the  representative  of  Christ  on 
earth.  His  office  requires  him  to  be  in  constant 
communication  with  prelates  in  every  country  in 
the  world.  Should  the  kingdom  of  Italy  be  em- 
broiled in  a  war  with  any  European  Power — with 
Germany,  for  instance — it  would  be  difficult,  if  not 
impossible,  for  the  Holy  Father  and  the  German 
Bishops  to  confer  with  each  other,  and  religion 
would  suffer  from  the  interruption  of  intercourse 
between  the  Head  and  the  members. 

The  interests  of  Christianity  demand  that  the 
Vicar  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  should  possess  one 
spot  of  territory  which  would  be  held  inviolable, 
so  that  all  nations  and  peoples  could  at  all  times, 
in  war,  as  well  as  in  peace,  freely  correspond  with 
him.  Nothing  can  be  more  revolting  to  our  feel- 
ings than  that  the  spiritual  government  of  the 
Church  should  be  constantly  hampered  by  the 
hostile  aggressions  of  ambitious  rulers,  an 
eventuality  always  likely  to  occur  so  long  as  the 
Pope  remains  the  subject  of  any  earthly  poten- 
tate.* 

But  we  are  told  that  the  Eoman  people,  by  a 
plehiscitum,  or  popular  vote,  expressed  their  de- 
sire to  be  annexed  to  the  Piedmontese  Govern- 

*  Some  of  the  evils  that  were  predicted  to  follow  from  the 
occupation  of  Rome  by  a  foreign  power  have  been  too  speedily 
realized.  Already  several  convents  and  other  ecclesiastical 
Institutions  have  been  seized  and  sold,  and  their  inmates  sent 
adrift.  A  number  of  colleges  founded  and  endowed  by  the 
piety  of  foreign  Catholics  have  been  confiscated.  Public  reli- 
gious processions  through  the  streets  of  Rome  have  been  pro- 
hibited. These  and  other  outrages  are  perpetrated  by  a 
government  which  solemnly  pledged  itself  to  maintain  invio- 
late the  sovereign  rights  of  the  Holy  Father  when  it  took 
forcible  possession  of  his  city  in  1870.  From  the  events  that 
have  already  transpired,  we  shall  not  be  surprised  to  see  the 
Pope  still  more  seriously  hampered  by  a  monarch  who  has  un* 
scrupulously  violated  his  former  guarantees. 


146  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

ment.  To  this  I  answer,  in  the  first  place,  that  we 
<)ught  to  know  what  importance  to  attach  to  elec- 
tions held  under  the  shadow  of  the  bayonet.  It  is 
well  Imown  that  the  Eoman  plehiscihim  was  un- 
dertaken by  the  authority  and  guided  by  the  inspi- 
ration of  the  Italian  troops.  It  is  equally  notori- 
ous that  the  numerous  stragglers  who  accom- 
panied the  Italian  army  to  Eome  legalized  the 
gigantic  fraud  of  their  master,  as  well  as  their  own 
petty  thefts,  by  voting  in  favor  of  annexation. 

In  the  second  place,  the  Eoman  people,  even  had 
they  so  desired,  had  no  right  to  transfer,  by  their 
suffrage,  the  Patrimony  of  St.  Peter  to  Victor  Em- 
manuel. They  could  not  give  what  did  not  belong 
to  them.  The  Papal  territory  was  granted  to  tht 
Popes  in  trust,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the 
Church — that  is,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the 
Catholics  of  Christendom.  The  Catholic  world, 
therefore,  and  not  merely  a  handful  of  Eoman  sub- 
jects, must  give  its  consent  before  such  a  transfer 
can  be  declared  legitimate.  Eome  is  to  Catholic 
Christendom  what  Washington  is  to  the  United 
States.  As  the  citizens  of  Washington  have  no 
power,  without  the  concurrence  of  the  United 
States,  to  annex  their  city  to  Maryland  or  Vir- 
ginia, neither  can  the  citizens  of  Eome  hand  over 
their  city  to  the  Kingdom  of  Piedmont  without  the 
acquiescence  of  the  faithful  dispersed  throughout 
the  world. 

We  protest,  therefore,  against  the  occupation  of 
Eome  by  foreign  troops  as  a  high-handed  act  of 
injustice,  and  a  gross  violation  of  the  Command- 
ment, ' '  Thou  shalt  not  steal.  * ' 

We  protest  against  it  as  a  royal  outrage,  calcu- 
lated to  shock  the  public  sense  of  honesty,  and  to 
weaken  the  sacred  right  of  public  and  private 
property. 


TEMPORAL  POWER  OF  THE  POPES        147 

We  protest  against  it  as  an  unjustifiable  viola- 
lion  of  solemn  treaties. 

We  protest,  in  fine,  against  the  spoliation  as  an 
impious  sacrilege,  because  it  is  an  unboly  seizure 
of  ecclesiastical  property,  and  an  attempt,  as  far 
as  human  agencies  can  accomplish  it,  to  trammel 
and  embarrass  the  free  action  of  the  Head  of  the 
Church. 

III. 

WHAT  THE  POPES  HAVE  DONE  FOE  KOMB. 

Although  the  temporal  power  of  the  Pope  is  a 
subject  which  concerns  the  universal  Church,  no 
nation  has  more  reason  to  lament  the  loss  of  the 
Holy  Father's  temporalities  than  the  Italians 
themselves,  and  particularly  the  inhabitants  of 
Bome. 

It  is  the  residence  of  the  Popes  in  Rome  that 
has  contributed  to  her  material  and  religious 
grandeur.  The  Pontiffs  have  made  her  the  Centre 
of  Christendom,  the  Queen  of  religion,  the  Mistress 
of  arts  and  sciences,  the  Depository  of  sacred 
learning. 

By  their  creative  and  conservative  spirit  they 
have  saved  the  illustrious  monuments  of  the  past, 
and,  side  by  side  with  these,  they  have  raised  up 
Christian  temples  which  surpass  those  of  Pagan 
antiquity.  In  looking  today  at  these  old  Eoman 
monuments  we  know  not  which  to  admire  more — 
the  genius  of  those  who  designed  and  erected  them, 
or  the  fostering  care  of  the  Popes  who  have  pre- 
served from  destruction  the  venerable  ruins.  The 
residence  of  the  Popes  in  Rome  has  made  her 
what  she  is  truly  called,  ''The  Eternal  City." 

Let  the  Popes  leave  Rome  forever,  and  in  five 
years  grass  will  be  growing  on  its  streets. 


148  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

Such  was  the  case  at  the  return  of  the  Pope,  in 
1418,  from  Avignon,  which  had  been  the  seat  ©f 
the  Sovereign  Pontiffs  during  the  preceding  cen- 
tury. On  the  Pope's  return  the  city  of  Rome  had 
a  population  of  only  17,000  ^  and  Avignon,  whAch, 
during  the  residence  of  the  Popes  in  the  four- 
teenth century  contained  a  population  of  100,000, 
has  now  a  population  of  only  36,407  inhabitants. 
Such,  also,  was  the  case  in  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,  when  Pius  VII.  was  an  exile  for 
four  years  from  Rome,  and  a  prisoner  of  the  first 
Napoleon,  in  Grenoble,  Savona  and  Fontainebleau. 
Grass  then  grew  on  the  streets  of  Rome,  and  the 
city  lost  one-half  of  its  population. 

Rome  has  naturally  no  commercial  attractions. 
It  is  only  the  presence  of  the  Pope  that  keeps  up 
her  trade.  Let  the  Popes  abandon  Rome,  and  her 
churches  will  soon  be  without  worshipers;  her 
artists  without  employment.  Her  glorious  monu- 
ments will  perish.  Science  and  art  and  sacred 
literature  will  take  their  flight  and  perch  upon 
some  more  favored  spot.  The  hundred  thousand 
and  more  strangers  who  annually  flock  to  Rome 
from  different  parts  of  the  world  will  shake  off  the 
dust  from  their  feet  and  seek  more  congenial  cities. 

Let  the  Popes  withdraw  from  Rome,  and  it  may 
become  almost  as  desolate  as  Jerusalem  and  Anti- 
och  are  today. 

Peter  preached  his  first  sermons  in  Jerusalem, 
but  he  did  not  select  it  as  his  See;  and  Jerusalem 
is  today  a  Mahometan  city,  with  its  sacred  places 
profaned  by  the  foot  of  the  Mussulman. 

Peter  occupied  for  a  time  the  city  of  Antioch  as 
his  first  See.  But,  in  the  mysterious  providence  ot 
God,  he  abandoned  Antioch  and  repaired  to  Rome; 
and  now,  little  remains  of  the  ancient  Antioch  of 
Peter's  day  except  colossal  ruins. 

iMemoir  of  Pope  Sixtus  V..  by  Baron  Hiibner,  Vol.  TT.,  ch.  1 


TEMPORAL  POWER  OF  THE  POPES       149 

Had  the  Popes  remained  in  Antiocli,  Syria  would 
now  very  probably  be,  instead  of  Europe,  the  cen- 
tre of  Christianity  and  civilization.  The  inunortal 
Dome  of  St.  Peter's  would,  doubtless,  overshadow 
the  banks  of  the  Orontes  instead  of  the  Tiber;  and 
Antioch,  not  Rome,  would  be  the  focus  of  art, 
science,  and  sacred  literature,  and  would  be  called 
today  ''The  Eternal  City." 

Our  present  ^  beloved  Pontiff,  Pius  IX.,  I  need 
not  inform  you,  is  now  treated  with  indignity  in 
his  own  city.  In  his  declining  years,  as  well  as  in 
the  early  days  of  his  Pontificate,  he  is  made  to 
drink  deep  of  the  chalice  of  affliction.  His  name  is 
dear  to  us  all.  To  many  of  us  it  is  a  name  familiar 
from  our  youth;  for  thirty-one  years  have  now 
elapsed  since  he  first  assumed  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment; and  it  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that,  since 
the  days  of  Peter,  no  Pope  has  ever  reigned  so 
long  as  Pius  IX. 

The  Pope  in  every  age,  like  his  Divine  Master, 
has  his  period  of  persecution  and  his  period  of 
peace.  Like  Him,  he  has  his  days  of  sorrow  and 
his  days  of  joy,  his  days  of  humiliation  and  death, 
his  days  of  exaltation  and  glory.  Like  Jesus 
Christ,  he  is  one  day  greeted  with  acclamations  as 
king,  and  another  day  crucified  by  his  enemies. 

But  never  does  the  Holy  Father  exhibit  his  title 
as  Vicar  of  Christ  more  strikingly  than  in  the 
midst  of  tribulations.  If  he  did  not  suffer,  he 
would  bear  no  resemblance  to  his  Divine  Model 
and  Master ;  and  never  does  he  more  worthily  de- 
serve the  filial  homage  of  his  children  than  when 
he  is  heavily  laden  with  the  cross. 

I  envy  neither  the  heart  nor  the  head  of  those 
men  who  are  now  gloating  with  fiendish  joy  over 

1  Whexi  these  lines  were  written,  Pius  IX.  was  the  reigning 
Pontiff.    He  aled  February  7,  1878. 


150  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

the  calamities  of  the  Pope;  who  are  heaping  in- 
sults and  calumnies  on  his  venerable  head,  while 
he  is  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies,^  and  who  are 
confidently  predicting  the  downfall  of  the  Papacy, 
from  the  present  situation  of  the  Head  of  the 
Church,  as  if  the  temporary  privation  of  his 
dominions  involved  their  irrevocable  loss ;  or,  as  if 
even  the  perpetual  destruction  of  the  temporal 
power  involved  the  destruction  of  the  spiritual  su- 
premacy itself.  *'The  Papacy,"  they  say,  "is 
gone.  Its  glory  is  vanished.  Its  sun  is  set.  It  is 
sunk  below  the  horizon,  never  to  rise  again. '  *  Ill- 
boding  prophets,  will  yon  never  profit  by  the  les- 
sons of  history?  Have  not  numbers  of  Popes  be- 
fore Pius  IX.  been  forcibly  ejected  from  their 
See,  and  have  they  not  been  reinstated  in  their 
temporal  authority?  What  has  happened  so  often 
before  may  and  will  happen  again. 

For  our  part  we  have  every  confidence  that  ere 
long  the  clouds  which  now  overshadow  the  civil 
throne  of  the  Pope  will  be  removed  by  the  breath 
of  a  righteous  God,  and  that  his  temporal  power 
will  be  re-established  on  a  more  permanent  basis 
than  ever. 

But  whatever  be  the  fate  of  the  Pope's  tem- 
poralities, we  have  no  fears  for  the  spiritual 
throne  of  the  Papacy.  The  Pontiffs  have  received 
their  earthly  dominion  from  man,  and  what  man 
gives  man  may  take  away.  But  the  spiritual  su- 
premacy the  Bishops  of  Rome  have  from  God, 
and  no  man  can  destroy  it.     That  Divine  charter 

*  Some  time  ago,  my  attention  was  called  to  a  certain  excom- 
munication or  "curse,"  then  widely  circulated  by  the  press  of 
North  Carolina.  The  "curse"  is  attributed  to  the  Floly  Father, 
and  is  fulminated  against  Victor  Emmanuel.  In  this  anathema, 
cursing  and  damning  are  heaped  up  in  wild  confusion.  When 
this  base  forgery  appeared,  an  article  exposing  the  falsehood 
of  the  production  was  published.  We  fear,  however,  that  many 
who  read  the  slanderous  charge  did  not  read  its  refutation. 


TEMPORAL  POWER  QF  THE  POPES       151 

of  their  prerogatives,  ''Thou  art  Peter,  and  on 
this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church,  and  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it,"  ^  will  ever  shino 
forth  as  brightly  as  the  sun,  and  it  is  as  far  as  the 
sun  above  the  reach  of  human  aggression. 

The  Holy  Father  may  live  and  die  in  the  cata- 
combs, as  the  early  Pontiffs  did  for  the  first  three 
centuries.  He  may  be  dragged  from  his  See  and 
perish  in  exile,  like  the  Martins,  the  Gregories  and 
the  Piuses.  He  may  wander  a  penniless  pilgrim, 
like  Peter  himself.  Eome  itself  may  sink  beneath 
the  Mediterranean;  but  the  chair  of  Peter  will 
stand,  and  Peter  will  live  in  his  successors. 


-Matt.  xvl.  18. 

As  to  this  "curse"  against  Victor  Emmanuel  so  calumni- 
ously  attributed  to  tlie  Pope,  I  state  liere  distinctly  and  posi- 
tively ttiat  its  author  is  not  Pius  IX.,  nor  any  other  Roman 
Pontiff,  nor  any  Catholic  Priest  or  layman.  It  is  to  the  Rev. 
Laurence  Sterne,  Minister  of  the  Established  Church  of  Eng- 
land, and  to  his  romance  of  "Tristram  Shandy,"  that  the  Eng- 
lish-speaking world  is  indebted  for  this  infamous  compilation. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

THE  INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS. 

CHRISTIANS  of  most  denominations  are  ac- 
customed to  recite  the  following  article  con- 
tained in  the  Apostles'  Creed:  "I  believe  in 
the  communion  of  Saints."  There  are  many,  I 
fear,  who  have  these  words  frequently  on  their 
lips,  without  an  adequate  knowledge  of  the  pre- 
cious meaning  which  they  convey. 

The  true  and  obvious  sense  of  the  words  quoted 
from  the  Creed  is,  that  between  the  children  of 
God,  whether  reigning  in  heaven  or  sojourning  on 
earth,  there  exists  an  intercommunion,  or  spiritual 
communication  by  prayer ;  and,  consequently,  that 
our  friends  who  have  entered  into  their  rest  are 
mindful  of  us  in  their  petitions  to  God. 

In  the  exposition  of  her  Creed  the  Catholic 
Church  weighs  her  words  in  the  scales  of  the 
sanctuary  with  as  much  precision  as  a  banker 
weighs  his  gold.  With  regard  to  the  Invocation  of 
Saints  the  Church  simply  declares  that  it  is  ''use- 
ful and  salutary'*  to  ask  their  prayers.^  There 
are  expressions  addressed  to  the  Saints  in  some 
popular  books  of  devotion  wii^ch,  to  critical  read- 
ers, may  seem  extravagant.  I?ut  they  are  only 
the  warm  language  of  affection  »nd  poetry,  to  be 
regulated  by  our  standard  of  faith-,  and  notice  that 
all  the  prayers  of  the  Church  end  with  the 
formula:  "Through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  suf- 

153 


INVOCATION"  OF  SAINTS  153 

ficiently  indicating  her  belief  that  Christ  is  the 
Mediator  of  salvation.  A  heart  tenderly  attached 
to  the  Saints  will  give  vent  to  its  feelings  in  the 
language  of  hyperbole,  just  as  an  enthusiastic 
lover  will  call  his  future  bride  his  adorable  queen, 
without  any  intention  of  worshiping  her  as  a  god- 
dess. This  reflection  should  be  borne  in  mind 
while  reading  such  passages. 

I  might  easily  show,  by  voluminous  quotations 
from  ecclesiastical  writers  of  the  first  ages  of  the 
Church,  how  conformable  to  the  teaching  of  an- 
tiquity is  the  Catholic  practice  of  invoking  the 
intercession  of  the  Saints.  But  as  you,  dear 
reader,  may  not  be  disposed  to  attach  adequate 
importance  to  the  writings  of  the  Fathers,  I  shall 
confint^  myself  to  the  testimony  of  Holy  Scripture. 

You  \vill  readily  admit  that  it  is  a  salutary 
custom  to  ask  the  prayers  of  the  blessed  in  heaven, 
provided  you  have  no  doubt  that  they  can  hear 
your  prayers,  and  that  they  have  the  poiver  and 
the  will  to  assist  you.  Now  the  Scriptures  amply 
demonstrate  the  knowledge,  the  influence  and  the 
love  of  the  Saints  in  our  regard. 

First — It  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  suppose 
that  the  Angels  and  Saints  reigning  with  God  see 
and  hear  in  the  same  manner  that  we  see  and  hear 
on  earth,  or  that  Imowledge  is  communicated  to 
them  as  it  is  communicated  to  us.  VVhile  we  are 
confined  in  the  prison  of  the  body,  we  see  only  with 
our  eyes  and  hear  with  our  ears;  hence  our 
faculties  of  vision  and  hearing  are  very  limited. 
Compared  with  the  heavenly  inhabitants,  we  are 
like  a  man  in  a  darksome  cell  through  which  a  dim 
ray  of  light  penetrates.  He  observes  but  few  ob- 
jects, and  these  very  obscurely.  But  as  soon  as 
our  soul  is  freed  from  the  body,  soaring  heaven- 
ward like  a  bird  released  from  its  cage,  its  vision 


154  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

is  at  once  marvelously  enlarged.  It  requires 
neitker  eyes  to  see  nor  ears  to  hear,  but  beholds 
all  things  in  God  as  in  a  mirror.  '  *  We  now, ' '  says 
the  Apostle,  *'see  through  a  glass  darkly;  but  then 
face  to  face.  Now,  I  know  in  part ;  but  then  I  shall 
know  even  as  I  am  known. "  ^  In  our  day  we  know 
what  wonderful  facility  we  have  in  communicating 
with  our  friends  at  a  distance.  A  message  to  Ber- 
lin or  Rome  with  the  answer,  which  a  century  ago 
would  require  sixty  days  in  transmission,  can  now 
be  accomplished  in  sixty  minutes. 

I  can  hold  a  conversation  with  an  acquaintance 
in  San  Francisco,  three  thousand  miles  away,  and 
can  talk  to  him  as  easily  and  expeditiously  as  if  he 
were  closeted  with  me  here  in  Baltimore. 

Nay  more,  we  can  distinctly  recognize  one  an- 
other by  the  sound  of  our  voice. 

If  a  scientist  had  predicted  such  events,  a  hun- 
dred years  past,  he  would  be  regarded  as  demented. 
And  yet  he  would  not  be  a  visionary,  but  a  prophet. 

Let  us  not  be  unwise  in  measuring  Divine  power 
by  our  finite  reason. 

If  such  revelations  are  made  In  the  natural  or- 
der, what  may  we  not  expect  in  the  supernatural 
world?  If  science  gives  us  such  rapid  and  easy 
means  of  corresponding  with  our  fellow  beings  on 
foreign  shores,  what  methods  may  not  the  God  of 
Sciences  employ  to  enable  us  to  communicate  with 
our  brethren  on  the  shores  of  eternity? 

*' There  are  more  things  in  heaven  and  earth, 
Horatio,  than  are  dreamt  of  in  your  philosophy.'* 

That  the  spirits  of  the  just  in  heaven  are  clearly 
conversant  with  our  affairs  on  earth  is  manifest 
from  the  following  passages  of  Holy  AVrit.  The 
venerable  Patriarch  Jacob,  when  on  his  death- 

1 1.  Cor.  xiii.  12. 


THE  INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS  155 

bed,  prayed  thus  for  his  two  grandchildren:  "May 
the  angel  that  delivereth  me  from  all  evils  bless 
these  boys!"^  Here  we  see  a  holy  Patriarch — 
one  singularly  favored  by  Almighty  God,  and  en- 
lightened by  many  supernatural  visions,  the  father 
of  Jehovah's  chosen  people — asking  the  angel  in 
heaven  to  obtain  a  blessing  for  his  grandchildren. 
And  surely  we  cannot  suppose  that  he  would  be  so 
ignorant  as  to  pray  to  one  that  could  not  hear  him. 

The  angel  Eaphael,  after  having  disclosed  him- 
self to  Tobias,  said  to  him:  ''When  thou  didst 
pray  with  tears,  and  didst  bury  the  dead,  and  didst 
leave  thy  dinner,  I  offered  thy  prayer  to  the 
Lord. ' '  ^  How  could  the  angel,  if  he  were  ignorant 
of  these  petitions,  have  presented  to  God  the  pray- 
ers of  Tobias! 

To  pass  from  the  Old  to  the  New  Testament,  our 
Savior  declares  that  "there  shall  be  joy  before  the 
angels  of  God  upon  one  sinner  doing  penance."^ 
Then  the  angels  are  glad  whenever  you  repent  of 
your  sins.  Now,  what  is  repentance  I  It  is  a  change 
of  heart.  It  is  an  interior  operation  of  the  will. 
The  saints,  therefore,  are  acquainted — we  know 
not  how — not  only  with  your  actions  and  words, 
but  even  with  your  very  thoughts. 

And  when  St.  Paul  says  that  "we  are  made  a 
spectacle  to  the  world,  to  angels,  and  to  men,"* 
what  does  he  mean,  unless  that  as  our  actions  are 
seen  by  men  even  so  they  are  visible  to  the  angels 
in  heaven? 

The  examples  I  have  quoted  refer,  It  is  true,  to 
the  angels.  But  our  Lord  declares  that  the  saints 
in  heaven  shall  be  like  the  angelic  spirits,  by  pos- 
sessing the  same  knowledge,  enjoying  the  same 
happiness.^ 

iGen.  xlviii.  16.  2  Tobias  xii.   12  3  Luke  xv.  10. 

4  I.  Cor.  iv.  9.  5  aiatt.  xxii.  30. 


156  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHEES 

We  read  in  tlie  Gospel  that  Dives,  while  suffer- 
ing in  the  place  of  the  reprobates,  earnestly  be- 
sought Abraham  to  cool  his  burning  thirst.  And 
Abraham,  in  his  abode  of  rest  after  death,  was 
able  to  listen  and  reply  to  him.  Now,  if  communi- 
cation could  exist  between  the  souls  of  the  just  and 
of  the  reprobate,  how  much  easier  is  it  to  suppose 
that  interchange  of  thought  can  exist  between  the 
saints  in  heaven  and  their  brethren  on  earth  ? 

These  few  instances  are  sufficient  to  convince 
you  that  the  spirits  in  heaven  hear  our  prayers. 

Second — We  have,  also,  abundant  testimony 
from  Scripture  to  show  that  the  saints  assist  us 
by  their  prayers.  Almighty  God  threatened  the 
inhabitants  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha  with  utter  de- 
struction on  account  of  their  crimes  and  abomina- 
tions. Abraham  interposes  in  their  behalf  and,  in 
response  to  his  prayer,  God  consents  to  spare  those 
cities  if  only  ten  just  men  are  found  therein.  Here 
the  avenging  hand  of  God  is  suspended  and  the  fire 
of  His  wrath  withheld,  through  the  efficacy  of  the 
prayers  of  a  single  man.^ 

We  read  in  the  Book  of  Exodus  that  when  the 
Amalekites  were  about  to  wage  war  on  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  Moses,  the  great  servant  and  Prophet 
of  the  Lord,  went  upon  a  mountain  to  pray  for  the 
success  of  his  people;  and  the  Scriptures  inform 
us  that  whenever  Moses  raised  his  hands  in  prayer 
the  Israelites  were  victorious,  but  when  he  ceased 
to  pray  Amalek  conquered.  Could  the  power  of 
intercessory  prayer  be  manifested  in  a  more  strik- 
ing manner?  The  silent  prayer  of  Moses  on  the 
mountain  was  more  formidable  to  the  Amalekites 
than  the  sword  of  Josue  and  his  armed  hosts  fight- 
ing in  the  valley." 

iGen.  xxviii.  aExod.  xvil. 


THE  mVOCATIOISr  OF  SAINTS  157 

Wlien  the  same  Hebrew  people  were  banished 
from  their  native  country  and  carried  into  exile  in 
Babylon,  so  great  was  their  confidence  in  the  pray- 
ers of  their  brethren  in  Jerusalem  that  they  sent 
them  the  following  message,  together  with  a  sum 
of  money,  that  sacrifice  might  be  offered  up  for 
them  in  the  holy  city:  "Pray  ye  for  us  to  the  Lord 
our  God,  for  we  have  sinned  against  the  Lord  ©ur 
God/'i 

When  the  friends  of  Job  had  excited  the  indig- 
nation of  the  Almighty  in  consequence  of  their 
vain  speech,  God,  instead  of  directly  granting  them 
the  pardon  which  they  sought,  commanded  them  to 
invoke  the  intercession  of  Job:  *'Go,"  He  says, 
"to  My  servant  Job  and  offer  for  yourselves  a 
bolocaust,  and  My  servant  Job  will  pray  for  you 
and  his  face  will  I  accept."  ^  Nor  did  they  appeal 
to  Job  in  vain;  for,  "the  Lord  was  turned  at  the 
penance  of  Job  when  he  prayed  for  his  friends. ' ' ' 
In  this  instance  we  not  only  see  the  value  of  inter- 
cessory prayer,  but  we  find  God  sanctioning  it  by 
His  own  authority. 

But  of  all  the  sacred  writers  there  is  none  that 
reposes  greater  confidence  in  the  prayers  of  his 
brethren  than  St.  Paul,  although  no  one  had  a  bet- 
ter knowledge  than  he  of  the  infinite  merits  of  our 
Savior's  Passion,  and  no  one  could  have  more  en- 
deared himself  to  God  by  his  personal  labors.  In 
his  Epistles  St.  Paul  repeatedly  asks  for  himself 
the  prayers  of  his  disciples.  If  he  wishes  to  be 
delivered  from  the  hands  of  the  unbelievers  of 
Judea,  and  his  ministry  to  be  successful  in  Jenisa- 
lem,  he  asks  the  Romans  to  obtain  these  favors  for 
him.  If  he  desires  the  grace  of  preaching  with 
profit  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  he  invokes  the 
intercession  of  the  Ephesians. 
iBaruch  i.  13.  2  Job  slii.  3  ibid. 


158  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Nay,  is  it  not  a  common  practice  among  our- 
selves, and  even  among  our  dissenting  brethren,  to 
ask  the  prayers  of  one  another?  When  a  father 
is  about  to  leave  his  house  on  a  long  journey  the 
instinct  of  piety  prompts  him  to  say  to  his  wife 
and  children:  ''Eemember  me  in  your  prayers." 

Now  I  ask  you,  if  our  friends,  though  sinners, 
can  aid  us  by  their  prayers,  why  cannot  our 
friends,  the  saints  of  God,  be  able  to  assist  us 
also?  If  Abraham  and  Moses  and  Job  exercised 
so  much  influence  with  the  Almighty  while  they 
lived  in  the  flesh,  is  their  power  with  God  dimin- 
ished now  that  they  reign  with  Him  in  heaven? 

We  are  moved  by  the  children  of  Israel^  sending 
their  pious  petitions  to  their  brethren  in  Jeru- 
salem. They  recalled  to  mind,  no  doubt,  what  the 
Lord  said  to  Solomon  after  he  had  completed  the 
temple:  ''My  eyes  shall  be  open  and  My  ears  at- 
tentive to  jhe  prayer  of  him  that  shall  pray  in  this 
place.''  ^  If  the  supplications  of  those  that  prayed 
in  the  earthly  Jerusalem  were  so  efficacious,  what 
will  God  refuse  to  those  who  pray  to  Him  face  to 
face  in  the  heavenly  Jerusalem? 

Third — But  you  will  ask,  are  the  saints inheaven 
so  interested  in  our  welfare  as  to  be  mindful  of  us 
^n  their  prayers  ?  Or,  are  they  so  much  absorbed 
in  the  contemplation  of  God,  and  in  the  enjoyment 
of  celestial  bliss,  as  to  be  altogether  regardless  of 
their  friends  on  earth?  Far  from  us  the  suspicion 
that  the  saints  reigning  with  God  ever  forget  us. 
In  heaven,  charity  is  triumphant.  Ajid  how  can 
the  saints  have  love,  and  yet  be  unmindful  of  their 
brethren  on  earth  ?  If  they  have  one  desire  greater 
than  another,  it  is  to  see  us  one  day  wearing  the 
crowns  that  await  us  in  heaven.  If  they  were  ca- 
pable of  experiencing  sorrow,  their  grief  would 

1 II.  Paralip.  vli.  15. 


THE  IXVOCATIOX  OF  SAINTS  159 

spring  from  the  consideration  that  we  do  not  ai- 
■ways  walk  in  their  footsteps  here,  so  as  to  make 
sure  our  election  to  eternal  glory  hereafter. 

The  Hebrew  people  believed,  like  us,  that  the 
saints  after  death  were  occupied  in  praying  for  us. 
We  read  in  the  Book  of  Maccabees  that  Judas 
Maccabeus,  the  night  before  he  engaged  in  battle 
with  the  army  of  the  impious  Nicanor,  had  v 
supernatural  dream,  or  vision,  in  which  he  behelc. 
Onias,  the  High-Priest,  and  the  prophet  Jeremiah, 
both  of  whom  had  been  long  dead.  Onias  ap- 
peared to  him  with  outstretched  arms,  praying  for 
the  people  of  God.  Pointing  to  Jeremiah,  he  said 
to  Judas  Maccabeus:  "This  is  a  lover  of  his 
brethren  and  the  people  of  Israel.  This  is  he  that 
prayeth  much  for  the  people  and  for  all  the  holy 
city,  Jeremiah,  the  Prophet  of  God."^  Then 
Jeremiah,  as  is  related  in  the  sequel  of  the  vision, 
haiided  a  sword  to  Judas,  with  which  the  prophet 
predicted  that  Judas  would  conquer  his  enemies. 
The  soldiers,  animated  by  the  relation  of  Judas, 
fought  with  invincible  courage  and  overcame  the 
enemy.  The  Book  of  Maccabees,  though  not  ad- 
mitted by  our  dissenting  brethren  to  be  inspired, 
must,  at  least,  be  aclmowledged  by  them  to  be  a 
faithful  historical  record.  It  is  manifest,  there- 
fore, from  this  narrative  that  the  Hebrew  people 
believed  that  the  saints  in  heaven  pray  for  their 
brethren  on  earth. 

St.  John  in  his  Revelation  describes  the  Saints 
before  the  throne  of  God  praying  for  their  earthly 
brethren:  ''The  four  and  twenty  ancients  fell  down 
before  the  Lamb,  having  every  one  of  them  harps 
and  golden  vials  full  of  odors,  which  are  the  pray- 
ers of  the  saints. ' '  ^ 

1 II.  Mac.  XV.  14.  2  Revel,  v.  8. 


160  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

The  prophet  Zachariah  records  a  prayer  that 
•was  offered  by  the  angel  for  the  people  of  God, 
and  the  favorable  answer  which  came  from  heaven: 
*'How  long,  0  Lord,  wilt  Thou  not  have  mercy  on 
Jerusalem,  and  on  the  cities  of  Juda,  with  which 
Thou  hast  been  angry  I  .  .  .  And  the  Lord  an- 
swered the  angel  .  .  .  good  words,  comfortable 
words.  "^ 

Nor  can  we  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the  angels 
labor  for  our  salvation,  since  we  are  told  by  St. 
Peter  that  "the  devil  goeth  about  like  a  roaring 
lion,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour;"  for,  if  hate 
impels  the  demons  to  ruin  us,  surely  love  must 
inspire  the  angels  to  help  us  in  securing  the  crown 
of  glory.  And  if  the  angels,  though  of  a  different 
nature  from  ours,  are  so  mindful  of  us,  how  much 
more  interest  do  the  saints  manifest  in  our  wel- 
fare, who  are  bone  of  our  bone  and  flesh  of  our 
flesh? 

To  ask  the  prayers  of  our  brethren  in  heaven  is 
not  only  conformable  to  Holy  Scripture,  but  is 
prompted  by  the  instincts  of  our  nature.  The 
Catholic  doctrine  of  the  Communion  of  Saints  robs 
death  of  its  terrors,  while  the  Reformers  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  in  denying  the  Communion  of 
Saints,  not  only  inflicted  a  deadly  wound  on  the 
Creed,  but  also  severed  the  tenderest  chords  of 
the  human  heart.  They  broke  asunder  the  holy 
ties  that  unite  earth  with  heaven — the  soul  in  the 
flesh  with  the  soul  released  from  the  flesh.  If  my 
brother  leaves  me  to  cross  the  seas  I  believe  that 
he  continues  to  pray  for  me.  And  when  he  crosses 
the  narrow  sea  of  death  and  lands  on  the  shores 
of  etern-ity,  why  should  he  not  pray  for  me  still? 
What  does  death  destroy?  The  body.  The  soul 
still  lives  and  moves  and  has  its  being.    It  thinks 

iZach.  I.  12,  13. 


THE  mVOCATION  OF  SAIXTS  161 

and  wills  and  remembers  and  loves.  The  dross  of 
sin  and  selfishness  and  hatred  are  burned  by  the 
salutary  fires  of  contrition,  and  nothing  remains 
but  the  pure  gold  of  charity. 

0  far  be  from  us  the  dreary  thought  that  death 
cuts  off  our  friends  entirely  from  us !  Far  be  from 
us  the  heartless  creed  which  declares  a  perpetual 
divorce  between  us  and  the  just  in  heaven !  Do  not 
imagine  when  you  lose  a  father  or  mother,  a  tender 
sister  or  brother,  who  die  in  the  peace  of  Christ, 
that  they  are  forgetful  of  you.  The  love  they  bore 
you  on  earth  is  priri  "ed  and  intensified  in  heaven. 
Or  if  your  innocent  child,  regenerated  in  the  waters 
of  baptism,  is  snatched  from  you  by  death,  be  as- 
sured that,  though  separated  from  you 'in  body,  that 
child  is  with  you  in  spirit  and  is  repajdng  you  a 
thousand-fold  for  the  natural  life  it  received  from 
you.  Be  convinced  that  the  golden  link  of  prayer 
binds  you  to  that  angelic  infant,  and  that  it  is  con- 
tinually offering  its  fervent  petitions  at  the  throne 
of  God  for  you,  that  you  may  both  be  reunited  in 
heaven.  But  I  hear  men  cry  out  with  Pharisaical 
assurance,  *'You  dishonor  God,  sir,  in  praying  to 
the  saints.  You  make  void  the  mediatorship  of 
Jesus  Christ.  You  put  the  creature  above  the  Crea- 
tor. ' '  How  utterly  groundless  is  this  objection!  We 
do  not  dishonor  God  in  praying  to  the  saints.  We 
should,  indeed,  dishonor  Him  if  we  consulted  the 
saints  independently  of  God.  But  such  is  not  our 
practice.  The  Catholic  Church  teaches,  on  the  con- 
trary, that  God  alone  is  the  Giver  of  all  good  gifts ; 
that  He  is  the  Source  of  all  blessings,  the  Fountain 
of  all  goodness.  She  teaches  that  whatever  happi- 
ness or  glory  or  injliience  the  saints  possess,  all 
comes  from  God.  As  the  moon  borrows  her  light 
from  the  sun,  so  do  the  blessed  borrow  their  light 
from  Jesus,  "the  Sun  of  Justice,"  the  one  Media- 


162  THE  FAITH.  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

tor  (of  redemption)  of  God  and  men."^  Hence, 
wken  we  address  the  saints,  we  beg  them  to  pray 
for  lis  tkreugk  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  while  we 
ask  Jesus  to  help  np  through  His  own  merits. 

But  what  is  the  use  of  praying  to  the  saints,  since 
God  can  hear  us:'  If  it  is  vain  and  useless  to  pray 
to  the  saints  because  God  can  hear  us,  then  Jacob 
was  wrong  in  praying  to  the  angel ;  the  friends  of 
Job  were  wrong  in  asking  him  to  pray  for  them, 
though  God  commanded  them  to  invoke  Job 's  in- 
tercession; the  Jews  exiled  in  Babylon  were  wrong 
in  asking  their  brethren  in  Jerusalem  to  pray  for 
them;  St.  Paul  was  wi'ong  in  beseeching  his  friends 
to  pray  for  him ;  then  we  are  all  wrong  in  praying 
for  each  other.  You  deem  it  useful  and  pious  to  ask 
your  pastor  to  pray  for  you.  Is  it  not,  at  least, 
equally  useful  for  me  to  invoke  the  prayers  of  St. 
Paul,  since  I  am  convinced  that  he  can  hear  me  ? 

God  forbid  that  our  supplications  to  our  Father 
in  heaven  should  diminish  in  proportion  as  our 
prayers  to  the  Saints  increase;  for,  after  all,  we 
must  remember  that,  while  the  Church  declares  it 
necessary  for  salvation  to  pray  to  God,  she  merely 
asserts  that  it  is  ''good  and  useful  to  invoke  the 
saints. "  ^  To  ask  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  far  from 
being  useless,  is  most  profitable.  By  invoking  their 
intercession,  instead  of  one  we  have  many  praying 
for  us.  To  our  own  tepid  petitions  we  unite  the  fer- 
vent supplications  of  the  blessed  and  ''the  Lord 
will  head'  the  prayers  of  the  just.'*^  To  the  peti- 
tions of  us,  poor  pilgrims  in  this  vale  of  tears,  are 
united  those  of  the  citizens  of  heaven.  "We  ask 
them  to  pray  to  their  God  and  to  our  God,  to  their 
Father  and  to  our  Father,  that  we  may  one  day 
share  their  delights  in  that  blessed  country  in  com- 
pany with  our  common  Redeemer,  Jesus  Christ, 
with  whom  to  live  is  to  reign. 

II,  Tim.  il.  5.    2  Council  of  Trent,  Sess.  xxv.     sproy,  xv.  20. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IS  IT  LAWFUL  TO  HONOR  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY 

AS  A  SAINT,  TO  INVOKE  HER  AS  AN  INTER- 

CESSOR,  AND  TO  IMITATE  HER  AS  A 

MODEL. 


I. 


IS  IT  LAWFUL  TO   HONOR  HER? 

THE  sincere  adorers  and  lovers  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  look  with  reverence  an  every 
object  with  which  He  was  associated,  and 
they  conceive  an  affection  for  every  person  that 
was  near  and  dear  to  Him  on  earth.  The  closer 
the  intimacy  of  those  persons  with  our^  Savior, 
the  holier  do  they  appear  in  our  estimation,  just 
as  those  planets  which  revolve  the  nearest  around 
the  sun  partake  most  of  its  light  and  heat. 

There  is  something  hallowed  to  the  eye  of  the 
Christian  in  the  very  soil  of  Judea,  because  it  was 
pressed  by  the  footprints  of  our  Blessed  Re- 
deemer. With  what  reverent  steps  we  would  en- 
ter the  cave  of  Bethlehem  because  there  was  born 
the  Savior  of  the  world.  AVith  what  religious  de- 
meanor we  would  tread  the  streets  of  Nazareth 
when  we  remembered  that  there  were  spent  the 
days  of  His  boyhood.  What  profound  rel^ious 
awe  would  fill  our  hearts  on  ascending  Mount 
Calvary,  where  He  paid  by  his  blood  the  ransom 
of  our  souls. 

But  if  the  lifeless  soil  claims  so  much  reverefice, 

163 


164  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

how  mucli  more  veneration  would  be  enkindled  in 
our  hearts  for  the  living  persons  who  were  the 
friends  and  associates  of  our  Savior  on  earth! 
We  know  that  He  exercised  a  certain  salutary  and 
magnetic  influence  on  those  whom  He  approached. 
"All  the  multitude  sought  to  touch  Him,  for  virtue 
went  out  from  Him  and  healed  all, "  ^  as  happened 
to  the  woman  who  had  been  troubled  with  an  issue 
of  blood.- 

We  would  seem,  indeed,  to  draw  near  to  Jesus, 
if  we  had  the  happiness  of  only  conversing  with 
the  Samaritan  woman,  or  of  eating  at  the  table  of 
Zaccheus,  or  of  being  entertained  by  Nicodemus* 
But  if  we  were  admitted  into  the  inner  circle  of 
His  friends — of  Lazarus,  Mary  and  Martha,  for 
instance — the  Baptist  or  the  Apostles,  we  would 
be  conscious  that  in  their  company  we  were  draw- 
ing still  nearer  to  Jesus  and  imbibing  somewhat 
of  that  spirit  which  they  must  have  largely  re- 
ceived from  their  familiar  relations  with  Him. 

Now,  if  the  land  of  Judea  is  looked  upon  as 
hallowed  ground  because  Jesus  dwelt  there;  if 
the  Apostles  were  considered  as  models  of  holi- 
ness because  they  were  the  chosen  companions  and 
pupils  of  our  Lord  in  His  latter  years,  how  peer- 
less must  have  been  the  sanctity  of  Mary,  who 
gave  Him  birth,  whose  breast  was  His  pillow,  who 
nursed  and  clothed  Him  in  infancy,  who  guided 
His  early  steps,  who  accompanied  Him  in  His 
exile  to  Egypt  and  back,  who  abode  with  Him 
from  infancy  to  boyhood,  from  boyhood  to  man- 
hood, who  during  all  that  time  listened  to  the 
words  of  wisdom  which  fell  from  His  lips,  who 
was  the  first  to  embrace  Him  at  His  birth, 
and  the  last  to  receive  His  dying  breath  on  Cal- 
vary.    This  sentiment  is  so  natural  to  us  that 

»Luke  vi.   19.  ''Matt.  ix.  20. 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY  165 

we  fmd  it  bursting  forth  spontaneously  from  the 
lips  of  the  woman  of  the  Gospel,  who,  hearing  the 
words  of  Jesus  full  of  wisdom  and  sanctity,  lifted 
up  her  voice  and  said  to  Him:  "Blessed  is  the 
womb  that  bore  Thee  and  the  paps  that  gave 
Thee  suck." 

It  is  in  accordance  with  the  economy  of  Divine 
Providence  that,  whenever  God  designs  any  per- 
son for  some  important  work.  He  bestows  on  that 
person  the  graces  and  dispositions  necessary  for 
faithfully  discharging  it. 

When  Moses  was  called  by  heaven  to  be  the 
leader  of  the  Hebrew  people  he  hesitated  to  as- 
sume the  formidable  office  on  the  plea  of  "impedi- 
ment and  slowness  of  tongue."  But  Jehovah  re- 
assured him  by  promising  to  qualify  him  for  the 
sublime  functions  assigned  to  him:  "I  will  be 
in  thy  mouth,  and  I  will  teach  thee  what  thoii 
shalt  speak. ' '  ^ 

The  Prophet  Jeremiah  was  sanctified  from  his 
very  birth  because  he  was  destined  to  be  the  herald 
of  God's  law  to  the  children  of  Israel:  "Before 
I  formed  thee  in  the  bowels  of  thy  mother  I  knew 
thee,  and  before  thou  camest  forth  out  of  the 
womb  I  sanctified  thee."^ 

"Elizabeth  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,"  ^ 
that  she  might  be  worthy  to  be  the  hostess  of  our 
Lord  during  the  three  months  that  Mary  dwelt 
under  her  roof. 

John  the  Baptist  was  "filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  even  from  his  mother's  womb,"  ^  "He  was 
a  burning  and  a  shining  light"  ^  because  he  was 
chosen   to  prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord. 

The  Apostles  received  the  plenitude  of  grace; 
they  were  endowed  with  the  gift  of  tongue  and 

*  Exod.  iv.  12.  *  Jcr.  i.  5.  '  Luke  i.  41. 

•  Ibid,  i.1-5.  *  John  v.  35. 


166  THE  PAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

other  privileges  ^  before  they  commenced  the 
work  of  the  ministry.  Hence  St.  Paul  says :  ''Our 
sufficiency  is  from  God,  who  hath  made  us  fit  min- 
isters of  the  New  Testament. ' '  - 

Now  of  all  who  have  participated  in  the  min- 
istry of  the  Redemption  there  is  none  who  filled 
any  position  so  exalted,  so  sacred,  as  is  the  in- 
communicable office  of  Mother  of  Jesus ;  and  there 
is  no  one,  consequently,  that  needed  so  high  a  de- 
gree of  holiness  as  she  did. 

For,  if  God  thus  sanctified  His  Prophets  and 
Apostles  as  being  destined  to  be  the  bearers  of 
the  Word  of  life,  how  much  more  sanctified  must 
Mary  have  been,  who  was  to  bear  the  Lord  and 
** Author  of  life."  ^  If  Jolm  was  so  holy  because 
he  was  chosen  as  the  pioneer  to  prepare  the  way 
of  the  Lord,  how  much  more  holy  was  she  who 
ushered  Him  into  the  world.  If  holiness  became 
John's  mother,  surely  a  greater  holiness  became 
the  mother  of  John's  Master.  If  God  said  to  His 
Priests  of  old:  ''Be  ye  clean,  you  that  carry  the 
vessels  of  the  Lord ; "  ^  nay,  if  the  vessels  them- 
selves used  in  the  divine  service  and  churches  are 
set  apart  by  special  consecration,  we  cannot  con- 
ceive Mary  to  have  been  ever  profaned  by  sin,  who 
was  the  chosen  vessel  of  election,  even  the  Mother 
of  God. 

When  we  call  the  Blessed  Virgini  the  Mother  of 
God,  we  assert  our  belief  in  two  things :  First — • 
That  her  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  is  true  man,  else  she 
were  not  a  mother.  Second — That  He  is  true  God, 
else  she  were  not  the  Mother  of  God.  In  other 
wor^ls,  we  affirm  that  the  Second  Person  of  the 
Bleseed  Trinity,  the  Word  of  God,  who  in  His 
^iivi'ie  nature  is  from  all  eternity  begotten  of  the 

^Aits  ii.  »II.  Cor.  iii.  6. 

'  cts  iii.  15  *  Isaiah  iii.  11. 


THE  BLESSED  VIEGIN^  MAEY  167 

Father,  consubstantial  with  Him,  was  in  the  ful- 
ness of  time  again  begotten,  by  being  borm  ©i  the 
Virgin,  thus  taking  to  Himself,  from  her  ma,ternai 
womb,  a  human  nature  of  the  same  substanee  with 
hers. 

But  it  may  be  said  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  not 
the  Mother  of  the  Divinity.  She  had  not,  and  she 
could  not  have,  any  part  in  the  generation  of  the 
Word  of  God,  for  that  generation  is  eternal;  her 
maternity  is  temporal.  He  is  her  Creator;  she 
is  His  creature.  Style  her,  if  you  will,  the  Mother 
of  the  man  Jesus  or  even  of  the  human  nature  of 
the  Son  of  God,  but  not  the  Mother  of  God. 

I  shall  answer  this  objection  by  putting  a  ques- 
tion. Did  the  mother  who  bore  us  have  any  part 
in  the  production  of  our  souU  Was  not  this 
nobler  part  of  our  being  the  work  of  God  alone? 
And  yet  who  would  for  a  moment  dream  of  say- 
ing "the  mother  of  my  body,"  and  not  ''my 
mother?" 

The  comparison  teaches  us  that  the  terms  par- 
ent and  child,  mother  and  son,  refer  to  the  persons 
and  not  to  the  parts  or  elements  of  which  the  per- 
sons are  composed.  Hence  no  one  says:  "The 
mother  of  my  body/'  "the  mother  of  my  soul;" 
but  in  all  propriety  "my  mother,"  the  mother  of 
me  who  live  and  breathe,  think  and  act,  onem  my 
personality,  though  uniting  in  it  a  soul  directly 
created  by  God,  and  a  material  body  directly  de- 
rived from  the  maternal  womb.  In  like  manner, 
as  far  as  the  sublime  mystery  of  the  Incamati©n 
can  be  reflected  in  the  natural  order,  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  under  the  overshadowing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  by  communicating  to  the  Second  Person  of 
the  Adorable  Trinity,  as  mothers  do,  a  true 
human  nature  of  the  same  substance  with  her 
own,  is  thereby  really  and  truly  His  Mother. 


168  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

It  is  in  this  sense  that  the  title  of  Mother  of 
God,  denied  by  Nestorius,  was  vindicated  to  her 
by  the  General  Council  of  Ephesus,  in  431;  in 
this  sense,  and  in  no  other,  has  the  Church  called 
her  by  that  title. 

Hence,  by  immediate  and  necessary  consequence, 
follow  her  surpassing  dignity  and  excellence,  and 
her  special  relationship  and  afifitiity,  not  only  with 
her  Divine  Son,  but  also  with  the  Father  and 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

Mary,  as  Wordsworth  beautifully  expressed  it, 
united  in  her  person  *'a  mother's  love  with  maiden 
purity.'*  The  Church  teaches  us  that  she  was  al- 
ways a  Virgin — a  Virgin  before  her  espousals, 
during  her  married  life  and  after  her  spouse's 
death.  *'The  Angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  God 
...  to  a  Virgin  espoused  to  a  man  whose  name 
was  Joseph,  .  .  .  and  the  Virgin's  name  was 
Mary."i 

That  she  remained  a  Virgin  till  after  the  birth 
of  Jesus  is  expressly  stated  in  the  Gospel. ^  It 
is  not  less  certain  that  she  continued  in  the  same 
state  during  the  remainder  of  her  days;  for  in 
the  Apostles'  and  the  Nicene  Creed  she  is  called 
a  Virgin,  and  that  epithet  cannot  be  restricted  to 
the  time  of  our  Saviour's  ^irth.  It  must  be  re- 
ferred to  her  whole  life,  inacmuch  as  both  creeds 
were  compiled  long  after  she  had  passed  away. 

The  Canon  of  the  Mass,  which  is  very  probably 
of  Apostolic  antiquity,  speaks  of  her  as  the  ''glori- 
ous ever  Virgin/'  and  in  this  sentiment  all  Cath- 
olic tradition  concurs. 

There  is  a  propriety  which  suggests  itself  to 
every  Christian  in  Mary's  remaining  a  Virgin 
after  the  birth  of  Jesus,  for,  as  Bishop  Bull  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  England  re- 

» Luke  i.  26,  27.  *  Matt  i.  25. 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MAEY  IGU 

marks,  *'It  cannot  -with  decency  be  imagined  that 
the  most  holy  vessel  which  was  once  consecrated 
to  be  a  receptacle  of  the  Deity  should  be  after- 
wards desecrated  and  profaned  by  human  use." 
The  learned  Grotius,  Calvin  and  other  eminent 
Protestant  writers  hold  the  same  view. 

The  doctrine  of  the  perpetual  virginity  of  Mary 
is  now  combated  by  Protestants,  as  it  was  in  the 
early  days  of  the  Church  by  Helvidius  and  Jovin- 
ian,  on  the  following  grounds: 

First — The  Evangelist  says  that  * 'Joseph  took 
unto  him  his  wife,  and  he  knew  her  not  till  she 
brought  forth  her  first-born  son."^  This  sen- 
tence suggests  to  dissenters  that  other  children 
besides  Jesus  were  born  to  Mary.  But  the  quali- 
fying word  till  by  no  means  implies  that  the  chaste 
union  which  had  subsisted  between  Mary  and 
Joseph  up  to  the  birth  of  our  Lord  was  subse- 
quently altered.  The  Protestant  Hooker  justly 
complains  of  the  early  heretics  as  having  ''abused 
greatly  these  words  of  Matthew,  gathering  against 
the  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  that  a  thing  de- 
nied with  special  circumstance  doth  import  an  op- 
posite affirmation  when  once  that  circumstance  is 
expired."  2  To  express  Hooker's  idea  in  plainer 
words,  when  a  thing  is  said  not  to  have  occurred 
until  another  event  had  happened,  it  does  not 
necessarily  follow  that  it  did  occur  after  that 
event  took  place. 

The  Scripture  says  that  the  raven  went  forth 
from  the  ark,  "and  did  not  return  till  the  waters 
were  dried  up  upon  the  earth"  ^ — that  is,  it  never 
returned.  "Samuel  saw  Saul  no  more  till  the 
day  of  his  death. ' '  ^  He  did  not,  of  course,  see 
him  after  death.     "The  Lord  said  to  my  Lord: 

»  Matt  i.  25.  '  Book  V.,  ch.  xlv. 

*Gen.  viii.  7.  *  Kings  xv.  35. 


no     THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHEES 

Sit  thou  at  my  rigkt  kand  until  I  make  thy  enemies 
thy  footstool. ' '  ^  These  words  apply  to  our  Sav- 
ior, who  did  not  eease  to  sit  at  the  right  of  God 
after  His  ^iiemies  were  subdued. 

Second — ^But  Jesus  is  called  Mary's  first-born 
Son,  and  does  not  a  first-born  always  imply  the 
subsequent  birth  of  other  children  to  the  same 
mother?  By  no  means ;  for  the  name  of  first-born 
was  gi-ven  to  the  first  son  of  every  Jewish  mother, 
whether  other  diildren  followed  or  not.  We  find 
this  epithet  applied  to  Machir,  for  instance,  who 
was  the  only  son  of  Manasses.^ 

Third — But  is  not  mention  frequently  made  of 
the  brethren  of  Jesus  *?  ^  Fortunately  the  Gospels 
themselves  will  enable  us  to  trace  the  maternity 
of  those  who  are  called  His  brothers,  not  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  but  to  another  Mary.  St.  Mat- 
thew mentions,  by  name,  James  and  Joseph  among 
the  brethren  of  Jesus ;  ^  and  the  same  Evangelist 
and  also  St.  Mark  tell  us  that  among  those  who 
were  present  at  the  Crucifixion  were  Mary  Mag- 
dalen and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  and  Joseph.^ 
And  St.  John,  who  narrates  with  more  detail  l^e 
circumstances  of  the  Crucifixion,  informs  us  who 
this  second  Mary  was,  for  he  says  that  there 
stood  by  the  cross  ©f  Jesus  His  mother  and  His 
Mother's  sister,  Mary  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary 
Ma^dalen.^  There  is  no  doubt  that  Mary  of  Cleo- 
phas is  identical  with  Mary,  who  is  called  by  Mat- 
thew and  Mark  the  mother  of  Jame«  and  Joseph. 
And  as  Mary  of  Cleophas  was  the  kinswoman  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  James  and  Joseph  are  called 
the  brothers  of  Jesus,  in  conformity  with  the  He- 
brew practice  of  giving  that  appellation  to  cousins 

*  Ps.  eix.  *  Josiae  xvii.  1. 

»  Matt.  xii.  4C ;  xiii.  55,  56.  *  IMd- 

•  Matt  xxTli. ;  Mark  sv.  •  John  xix.  25. 


THE  BLESSED  YIEGIN  MARY  171 

or  near  relations.     Abraham,  for  instance,  was 
the  unele  of  Lot,  yet  he  calls  him  brother.^ 

Mary  is  exalted  above  all  other  women,  not  only 
because  she  imited  "a  mother's  love  with  maiden 
purity, ' '  hut  also  because  she  was  conceived  with- 
out original  sin.  The  dogma  of  the  ImraacuJate 
Conception  is  thus  expres&ed  by  the  Church :  ' '  We 
define  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  in  the  first 
moment  of  her  conception,  by  the  singular  grace 
and  privilege  of  Almighty  God,  in  virtE^e  of  the 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Savior  of  the  human 
race,  was  preserved  free  from  every  stain  of 
original  sin, ' '  ^ 

ITnlike  the  rest  of  the  children  of  Adam,  the  soul 
of  Mary  was  never  subject  to  sin,  even  in  the  first 
moment  of  its  infusion  into  the  body.  She  alone 
was  exempt  from  the  original  taint.  This  im- 
munity of  Mary  froDi  original  sin  is  exclusively 
due  to  the  merits  of  Christ,  as  the  Churek  ex- 
pressly declares.  Bhe  needed  a  Eedeemer  as  well 
as  the  rest  of  the  human  race  and  therefore  was 
''redeemed,  but  in  a  more  sublime  manner."  =^ 
Mary  is  as  much  indebted  to  the  precious  blood 
of  Jesus  for  having  been  preserved  as  we  are  for 
having  been  cleansed  from  original  sin. 

Although  the  Immaculate  Conception  was  not 
formulated  into  a  dogma  of  faith  till  1854,  it  is 
at  least  implied  m  Holy  Scripture.  It  is  in  strict 
harmony  with  the  place  which  Mary  holds  in  the 
economy  of  Eedemption,  and  has  virtually  re- 
ceived the  pious  assent  of  the  faithful  from  the 
earliest  days  of  the  Church. 

In  Genesis  we  read:  ''I  will  put  enmities  be- 
tween thee  and  the  woman,  and  thy  seed  and  her 
seed;  she  shall  crush  thy  head."^    All  Catholic 

*  Gen.  xiii.  8,  '  Bulla  Dogmat.  Pii  Papse  IX. 

3  Ibid.  *  Gen.  iii.  15. 


173  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

commentators,  ancient  and  modern,  recognize  in 
the  Seed,  the  Woman  and  the  serpent  types  of  our 
Savior,  of  Mary  and  the  devil.  God  here  declares 
that  the  enmity  of  the  Seed  and  that  of  the  Woman 
toward  the  tempter  were  to  be  identical.  Now  the 
enmity  of  Christ,  or  the  Seed,  toward  the  evil  one 
was  absolute  and  perpetual.  Therefore  the  en- 
mity of  Mary,  or  the  Woman,  toward  the  devil 
never  admitted  of  any  momentary  reconciliation 
which  would  have  existed  if  she  were  ever  sub- 
ject to  original  sin. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  as  three  characters 
appear  on  the  scene  of  our  fall — ^Adam,  Eve  and 
the  rebellious  Angel — so  three  corresponding  per- 
sonages figure  in  our  redemption — Jesus  Christ, 
who  is  the  second  Adam;  ^  Mary,  the  second  Eve, 
and  the  Archangel  Gabriel.  The  second  Adam  was 
immeasurably  superior  to  the  first,  Gabriel  was 
superior  to  the  fallen  Angel,  and  hence  we  are 
warranted  by  analogy  to  conclude  that  Mary  was 
superior  to  Eve.  But  if  she  had  been  created  in 
original  sin,  instead  of  being  superior,  she  would 
be  inferior  to  Eve,  who  was  certainly  created  im- 
maculate. We  cannot  conceive  that  the  mother  of 
Cain  was  created  superior  to  the  mother  of  Jesus. 
It  would  have  been  unworthy  of  a  God  of  infinite 
purity  to  have  been  born  of  a  woman  that  was 
even  for  an  instant  under  the  dominion  of  Satan. 

The  liturgies  of  the  Church,  being  the  estab- 
lished formularies  of  her  public  worship,  are 
among  the  most  authoritative  documents  that  can 
be  adduced  in  favor  of  any  religious  practice. 

In  the  liturgy^  ascribed  to  St.  James,  Mary  is 
commemorated  as  ' '  our  most  holy,  immaculate  and 
most  glorious  Lady,  Mother  of  God  and  ever  Vir- 
gin Mary."  ^ 

1.  Cor.  XV.  45.  '  Bibliotheca  Max.  Patrum,  t.  2,  p.  SI 


THE  BLESSED  YIEGIN  MAEY  173 


In  the  Maronite  Ritual  she  is  invoked  as  ''our 
holy,  praiseworthy  and  immaculate  Lady."  * 

In  the  Alexandrian  liturgy  of  St.  Basil,  she  is 
addressed  as  ''most  holy,  most  glorious,  immacu- 
late." ^ 

The  Feast  of  Mary's  Conception  commenced  to 
be  celebrated  in  the  East  in  the  fifth,  and  in  the 
West  in  the  seventh  centuries.  It  was  not  intro- 
duced mto  Rome  till  probably  towards  the  end 
of  the  fourteenth  century.  Though  Rome  is  al- 
ways the  first  that  is  called  on  to  sanction  a  new 
festival,  she  is  often  the  last  to  take  part  in  it. 
She  is  the  first  that  is  expected  to  give  the  key- 
note, but  frequently  the  last  to  join  in  the  festive 
song.  While  she  is  silent,  the  notes  are  faint  and 
uncertain;  when  her  voice  joins  in  the  chant,  the 
song  of  praise  becomes  constant  and  universal. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  for  me  to  add  that  the 
introduction  of  the  festival  of  the  Conception  after 
the  lapse  of  so  many  centuries  from  the  founda- 
tion of  Christianity  no  more  implies  a  novelty  of 
doctrine  than  the  erection  of  a  monument  in  1875 
to  Arminius,  the  German  hero  who  flourished  in 
the  first  century,  would  be  an  evidence  of  his  re- 
cent exploits.  The  Feast  of  the  Blessed  Trinity 
was  not  introduced  till  the  fifth  century,  though 
it  commemorates  a  fundamental  mystery  of  the 
Christian  religion. 

It  is  interesting  to  us  to  know  that  the  Immacu- 
late Conception  of  Mary  has  been  interwoven  in 
the  earliest  history  of  our  own  country.  The  ship 
that  first  bore  Columbus  to  America  was  named 
Mary  of  the  Conception.  This  celebrated  navi- 
gator gave  the  same  name  to  the  second  island 
which  he  discovered.  The  first  chapel  erected  in 
Quebec,  when  that  city  was  founded  in  the  early 

»De  sac.  ordinat,  p,  313.  *Renaudot.  Lit.  Orient 


174  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

part  of  the  seventeenth  century  was  dedicated  to 
God  under  the  invocation  of  Maiy  Immaculate. 

In  view  of  these  three  great  prerogatives  of 
Mary — her  divine  maternity,  her  perpetual  vir- 
ginity and  her  Immaculate  Conception— we  are 
prepared  to  find  her  blessedness  often  and  express- 
ly declared  in  Holy  Scripture. 

The  Archangel  Gabriel  is  sent  to  her  from 
heaven  to  announce  to  her  the  happy  tidings  that 
she  was  destined  to  be  the  mother  of  the  world's 
E^deemer.  No  greater  favor  was  ever  before  or 
since  conferred  on  woman,  whether  we  consider  the 
dignity  of  the  messenger,  or  the  momentous  char- 
acyfcer  of  the  message,  or  the  terms  of  respect  in 
which  it  is  conveyed. 

"The  Angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  God  into  a 
city  ef  Galilee  called  Nazareth  to  a  virgin  .  .  .  and 
the  virgin's  name  was  Mary.  And  the  Angel  being 
eofMe  in  said  unto  her:  Hail,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord 
is  with  th«e;  blessed  art  tliou  among  women.  Who, 
having  heard,  was  troubled  at  his  saying  and 
thought  with  herself  what  mannea*  of  salutation 
this  should  be.  And  the  Angel  said  to  her:  Fear 
not,  Mary,  for  thou  hast  found  grace  with  God. 
Behold,  th©u  shalt  conceive  in  thy  wo-mb,  and  shalt 
bring  forth  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his  name 
Je&ias.  .  .  .  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee, 
and  tile  power  of  the  most  high  shall  overshadow 
thee,  and  therefore,  also,  the  Holy  which  shall  be 
bom  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God. ' '  ^  The 
Alniighty  does  not  send  to  Mary,  a  prophet  or 
prie&t,  or  any  other  earthly  ambassador,  nor  even 
©Be  of  the  lower  choirs  of  angels,  but  He  commis- 
sions an  Archangel  to  confer  with  her. 

''Mail  full  of  grace!"  Gabriel  does  not  congrat- 
ulate her  ©n  her  personal  charms,  though  she  is  the 
fairest  daughter  of  Israel.    He  does  not  praise  her 

iLuke  i.  2G-35. 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY  175 

for  her  exalted  ancestry,  though  she  is  descended 
from  the  Kings  of  Juda.  But  he  commends  her 
because  she  is  the  chosen  child  of  benediction.  He 
admires  the  hidden  virtues  of  her  soul,  brighter 
than  the  sun,  fairer  than  the  moon,  purer  than 
angels,  he  sees  before  him, 

"Our  tainted  nature's  solitary  boast," 
one  that  alone  escaped  the  taint  of  Adam's  disobe- 
dience. 

As  the  precious  diamond  reflects  various  colors 
according  as  it  is  exposed  to  the  sun's  rays,  so  did 
the  soul  of  Mary,  from  the  moment  that  the  ''Sun 
of  Justice"  shone  upon  her,  exhibit  every  grace 
that  was  prompted  by  the  occasion. 

St.  Stephen  and  the  Apostles  were  also  said  to 
be  full  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  By  this,  however,  we 
are  not  to  understand  that  the  same  measure  of 
grace  was  imparted  to  them  which  was  given  to 
Mary.  On  each  one  it  is  bestowed  according  to  his 
merits  and  needs.  "One  is  the  glory  of  the  sun, 
another  the  glory  of  the  moon,  and  another  the 
glory  of  the  stars,  for  star  differeth  from  star  in 
glory;"  ^  and  as  Mary's  ofi&ce  of  Mother  of  God 
immeasurably  surpassed  in  dignity  that  of  the 
proto-martyr  and  of  the  Apostles,  so  did  her  grace 
superabound  over  theirs. 

"The  Lord  is  ivith  thee."  ^'He  exists  in  His 
creatures  in  different  ways;  in  those  that  are  en- 
dowed with  reason  in  one  way,  in  irrational  crea- 
tures in  another.  His  irrational  creatures  have  no 
means  of  apprehending  or  possessing  Him.  All 
rational  creatures  may  indeed  apprehendl  Him 
by  knowledge,  but  only  the  good  by  love.  Only 
in  the  good  does  He  so  exist  as  to  be  with  them 
as  well  as  in  them;  with  them  by  a  certain  har- 
mony and  agreement  of  will,  and  in  this  way  God 

1 1.  Cor.  SY,  ih 


ire  THE  FAITH  OF  01' R  FATHERS 

is  Tviti'  ml  His  Saints.  But  He  is  with  Mary  in 
a  yet  more  fepecial  manner,  for  in  lier  there  was  so 
gi'eat  an  agreement  and  union  with  God  that  not 
her  will  only^.  but  her  very  flesh  was  to  be  united  to 
him."i 

^^ Blessed  art  Thou  among  ivomen."  The  same 
expression  is  applied  io  two  other  women  in  the 
Holy  Scripture — viz.,  to  Jaliel  and  Judith.  The 
former  was  called  blesced  after  ^-he  had  slain 
gisara,^  and  the  latter  after  she  had  slain  Holo- 
fernes,^  both  of  whom  had  been  enemies  of  God's 
people.  In  this  respect  these  two  women  are  true 
types  of  Mary,  who  was  chosen  by  God  to  crush 
the  head  of  the  serpent,  the  infernal  enemy  of  man- 
kind. And  if  they  deserv^ed  the  title  of  blessed  for 
being  the  instruments  of  God  in  rescuing  Israel 
from  temporal  calamities,  how  much  more  does 
Mary  merit  that  appellation,  who  co-operated  so 
actively  in  the  salvation  of  the  human  race! 

The  Evangelist  proceeds:  "And  Mary,  rising 
up  in  those  days,  went  .  .  .  into  a  city  of  Juda; 
and  she  entered  into  the  house  of  Zachary  and 
saluted  Elizabeth.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  when 
Elizabeth  heard  the  salutation  of  Mary  the  in- 
fant leapt  in  her  womb.  And  Elizabeth  was  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  she  cried  out  with  a  loud 
voice  and  said:  Blessed  art  thou  among  women, 
and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb.  And  whence 
is  this  to  me  that  the  mother  of  my  Lord  should 
come  to  me?  For  behold,  as  soon  as  the  voice  of 
thy  salutation  sounded  in  my  ears,  the  infant  in  my 
womb  leaped  for  joy.  And  blessed  art  thou  that 
hast  believed,  because  those  things  shall  be  accom- 
plished that  were  spoken  to  thee  by  the  Lord."  * 

There  is  joy  in  Mary's  heart  in  being  chosen  to 
become  the  mother  of  the  world 's  Redeemer.    She 

1  St.  Bernard.      2  judges,  v.      3  Judith,  xiii.      ■*  Luke  i.  39-45. 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY  177 

wishes  by  her  visit  to  communicate  that  joy  to  her 
cousin.  The  Sun  of  Justice  is  shining  within  her. 
She  desires  to  diffuse  His  rays  through  Elizabeth's 
household.  She  is  laden  with  spiritual  treasures. 
She  must  share  them  with  her  kinswoman,  espe- 
cially as  she  is  none  the  poorer  in  making  others 
richer. 

The  usual  order  of  salutation  is  here  reversed. 
Age  pays  reverence  to  youth.  A  lady  who  is  re- 
vered by  the  whole  community  honors  a  lowly 
maiden.  An  inspired  matron  expresses  her  aston- 
ishment that  her  young  kinswoman  should  deign 
to  visit  her.  She  extols  Mary's  faith  and  calls  her 
blessed.  She  blends  the  praise  of  Mary  with  the 
praise  of  Mary's  Son,  and  even  the  infant  John 
testifies  his  reverential  joy  by  leaping  in  his  moth- 
er's womb.  And  we  are  informed  that  during  this 
interview  Elizabeth  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
to  remind  us  that  the  veneration  she  paid  to  her 
cousin  was  not  prompted  by  her  own  feelings,  but 
w^as  dictated  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Tlien  Mary  breaks  out  into  that  sublime  can- 
ticle, the  Magnificat:  ''My  soul  doth  magnify  the 
Lord,  and  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my 
Savior,  because  He  hath  regarded  the  humility  of 
his  handmaid,  for  behold  from  henceforth  all  gen- 
erations shall  call  me  blessed."^  On  these  words 
I  shall  pause  to  make  one  reflection. 

The  Holy  Ghost,  through  the  organ  of  Mary's 
chaste  lips,  prophesies  that  all  generations  shall 
call  her  blessed,  with  evident  approval  of  the 
praise  she  should  receive. 

What  a  daring  prophecy  is  this!  Among  the 
wonderful  predictions  recorded  in  Holy  Scripture, 
I  can  recall  none  that  more  strongly  commands  my 
admiration.    Here  is  a  modest,  retiring  maiden, 

1  Lulie  i.  4G-48. 


178  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

living  in  an  obscure  village  in  a  remote  quarter  of 
the  civilized  world,  openly  announcing  that  every 
age  till  the  end  of  time,  should  pronounce  her  hal- 
lowed. We  have  no  reason  to  question  this  proph- 
ecy, for  it  is  recorded  in  the  inspired  pages  of  the 
Gospel.  And  we  know  also  without  the  shadow 
of  a  doubt  that  the  prophecy  has  been  literally 
fulfilled.  For,  in  every  epoch,  and  in  every  Chris- 
tian land  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun,  her 
Magnificat  has  daily  resounded. 

Now  the  Catholic  is  the  only  Church  whose  chil- 
dren, generation  after  generation,  from  the  first  to 
the  present  century,  have  pronounced  her  blessed ; 
of  all  Christians  in  this  land,  they  alone  contribute 
to  the  fulfilment"  of  the  prophecy. 

Therefore,  it  is  only  Catholics  that  earn  the  ap- 
proval of  Heaven  by  fulfilling  the  prediction  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

Protestants  not  only  concede  that  we  bless  the 
name  of  Mary,  but  they  even  reproach  us  with  be- 
ing too  lavish  in  our  praises  of  her. 

On  the  other  hand,  they  are  careful  to  exclude 
themselves  from  the  ''generations"  that  were  des> 
tined  to  call  her  blessed,  for,  in  speaking  of  her, 
they  almost  invariably  withhold  from  her  the  title 
of  blessed,  prefering  to  call  her  the  Virgin,  or 
Mary  the  Virgin,  or  the  Mother  of  Jesus.  And 
while  Protestant  churches  will  resound  with  the 
praises  of  Sarah  and  Rebecca  and  Rachel,  of 
Miriam  and  Ruth,  of  Esther  and  Judith  of  the  Old 
Testament,  and  of  Elizabeth  and  Anna,  of  Mag- 
dalen and  Martha  of  the  New,  the  name  of  Mary 
the  Mother  of  Jesus  is  uttered  with  bated  breath, 
lest  the  sound  of  her  name  should  make  the 
preacher  liable  to  the  charge  of  superstition. 

The  piety  of  a  mother  usually  sheds  additional 
lustre  on  the  son,  and  the  halo  that  encircles  hei? 


THE  BLESSED  VIBGIlSr  MAEY  179 

brow  is  reflected  upon  his.  Tlie  more  tlie  motlier 
is  extolled,  the  greater  honor  redounds  to  the 
son.  And  if  this  is  true  of  all  men  who  do  not 
choose  their  mothers,  how  much  more  strictly  may- 
it  be  affirmed  of  Him  who  chose  His  own  Mother, 
and  made  her  Himself  such  as  He  would  have  her, 
so  that  all  the  glories  of  His  Mother  are  essen- 
tially His  own.  And  yet  we  daily  see  ministers 
of  the  Gospel  ignoring  Mary's  exalted  virtues 
and  unexampled  privileges  and  parading  her  al- 
leged imperfections ;  nay,  sinfulness,  as  if  her  Son 
were  dishonored  by  the  piety,  and  took  delight 
in  the  defamation  of  His  Mother. 

Such  defamers  might  learn  a  lesson  from  one 
who  made  little  profession  of  Christianity. 

"Is  thy  name  Mary,  maiden  fair? 

Such  should,  methinks,  its  music  be. 
The  sweetest  name  that  mortals  bear, 

Were  best  befitting  thee. 
And  she  to  whom  it  once  was  given 
Was  half  of  earth  and  half  of  heaven."^ 

Once  more  the  title  of  blessed,  is  given  to  Mary. 
On  one  occasion  a  certain  woman,  lifting  up  her 
veice,  said  to  Jesus:  "Blessed  is  the  womb  that 
bore  thee  and  the  paps  that  gave  thee  suck. "  ^  it 
is  true  that  our  Lord  replied:  "Yea,  rather  (or 
yea,  likewise),  blessed  are  they  who  hear  the  word 
of  God  and  keep  it."  It  would  be  an  unwarrant- 
able perversion  of  the  sacred  text  to  infer  from 
this  reply  that  Jesus  intended  to  detract  from 
the  praise  bestowed  on  His  Mother.  His  words 
may  be  thus  correctly  paraphrased:  She  is 
blessed  indeed  in  being  the  chosen  instrument  of 
My  incarnation,  but  more  blessed  in  keeping  My 
word.  Let  others  be  comforted  in  knowing  that 
though  they  cannot  share  with  My  Mother  in  tha 

1  Oliver  W.  Holmes,  2  Luke  xi.  27. 


130  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

privilege  of  her  maternity,  they  can  participate 
with  her  in  the  blessed  reward  of  them  who  hear 
My  word  and  keep  it. 

In  the  preceding  passages  we  have  seen  Mary 
declared  blessed  on  four  different  occasions,  and 
hence,  in  proclaiming  her  blessedness,  far  from 
paying  her  unmerited  honor,  we  are  but  re-echoing 
the  Gospel  verdict  of  saint  and  angel  and  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  Himself. 

Wordsworth,  though  not  nurtured  within  the 
bosom  of  the  Catholic  Church,  conceives  a  true 
appreciation  of  Mary's  incomparable  holiness  in 
the  following  beautiful  lines" 

"Mother !  whose  virgin  bosom  was  uncrossed 
With  the  loast  shade  of  thought  to  sin  allied; 
Woman!  above  all  women  glorified, 

'Our  tainted  nature's  solitary  boast ; 
Purer  than  foam  on  central  ocean  tost, 
Brighter  than  eastern  skies  at  daybreak  strewn 
With  fancied  roses,  than  the  unblemislied  moon 
Before  her  wane  begins  on  heaven's  blue  coast. 
Thy  image  falls  to  earth.     Yet  some,  I  ween, 
Not  unforgiven,  the  suppliant  knee  might  bend 
As  to  a  visible  power,  in  which  did  blend 
All  that  was  mixed  and  reconciled  in  thee 
Of  mother's  love  with  maiden  purity. 
Of  high  with  low,  celestial  with  serene." 

To  honor  one  who  has  been  the  subject  of  divine, 
angelic  and  saintly  panegyric  is  to  use  a  privilege, 
and  the  privilege  is  heightened  into  a  sacred  duty 
when  we  remember  that  the  spirit  of  prophecy 
foretold  that  she  should  ever  be  the  unceasing 
theme  of  Christian  eulogy  as  long  as  Christianity 
itself  would  exist. 

"Honor  he  is  worthy  of,  whom  the  king  hath  a 
mind  to  honor."  ^  The  King  of  kings  hath  hon- 
ored Mary;  His  divine  Son  did  not  disdain  to  be 
subject  to  her,  therefore  should  we  honor  her, 

1  Esther  vl.  11 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY  181 

especially  as  the  honor  we  pay  to  her  redounds 
to  God,  the  source  of  all  glory.  The  Eoyal 
Prophet,  than  whom  no  man  paid  higher  praise 
to  God,  esteemed  the  friends  of  God  worthy  of 
all  honor:  "To  me  Thy  friends,  0  God,  are 
made  exceedingly  honorable."  ^  Now  the  dearest 
friends  of  God  are  they  who  most  faithfully  keep 
His  precepts:  "You  are  My  friends,  if  you  do 
the  things  that  I  command  you. ' '  -  Who  fulfilled 
the  divine  precepts  better  than  Mary,  who  kept 
all  the  words  of  her  Son,  pondering  them  in  her 
heart?  "If  any  man  minister  to  me,"  says  our 
Savior,  "him  will  My  Father  honor. ' '  ^  Who  min- 
istered more  constantly  to  Jesus  than  Mary,  who 
discharged  towards  Him  all  the  offices  of  a  tender 
mother  ? 

Heroes  and  statesmen  may  receive  the  highest 
military  and  civic  honors  which  a  nation  can  be- 
stow without  being  suspected  of  invading  the  do- 
main of  the  glory  which  is  due  to  God.  Now  is 
not  heroic  sanctity  more  worthy  of  admiration 
than  civil  service  and  military  exploits,  inasmuch 
as  religion  ranks  higher  than  patriotism  and 
valor?  And  yet  the  admirers  of  Mary's  exalted 
virtues  can  scarcely  celebrate  her  praises  without 
being  accused  in  certain  quarters  of  Mariolatry. 

When  a  nation  wishes  to  celebrate  the  memory 
of  its  distinguished  men  its  admiration  is  not 
confined  to  words,  but  vents  itself  in  a  thousand 
different  shapes.  See  in  how  many  ways  we  honor 
the  memory  of  Washington.  Monuments  on  which 
his  good  deeds  are  recorded  are  erected  to  his 
name.  The  grounds  in  which  his  remains  repose 
on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  are  kept  in  order  by 
a  volunteer  band  of  devoted  ladies,  who  adorn 

iPs.  cxsxviii.     (In  Protostaut  version,  Ps.  cxxxix,) 
«» John  XV.  14.  3  John  sii.  26. 


183  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHEES 

tlie  place  witla  flowers.  Ajid  this  clierislied  spot 
is  annually  visited  by  thousands  of  pilgrims  from 
the  most  remote  sections  of  the  country.  These 
visitors  will  eagerly  snatch  a  flower  or  a  leaf 
from  a  shrub  growing  near  Washington's  tomb, 
or  will  strive  even  to  clip  off  a  little  shred  from 
one  of  his  garments,  still  preserved  in  the  old 
mansion,  to  bear  home  with  them  as  precious 
relics. 

I  have  always  observed  when  traveling  on  the 
missions  up  and  down  the  Potomac,  that  when- 
ever the  steamer  came  to  the  point  opposite  Mount 
Vernon  the  bell  was  tolled,  and  every  eye  was 
directed  toward  Washington's  grave. 

The  22nd  of  February,  Washington's  birthday, 
is  kept  as  a  national  holiday,  at  least  in  certain 
portions  of  the  country.  I  well  remember  that 
formerly  military  and  fire  companies  paraded  the 
Btreets,  and  that  patriotic  speeches  recounting  the 
heroic  deeds  of  the  first  President  were  delivered, 
the  festivities  of  the  day  closing  with  a  social 
banquet. 

As  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  manifest  in 
divers  ways  their  admiration  for  AVashington,  so 
do  the  citizens  of  the  republic  of  the  Church  love 
to  exhibit  in  corresponding  forms  their  venera- 
tion for  the  Mother  of  Jesus. 

Monuments  and  statues  are  erected  to  her. 
Thrice  each  day — at  morn,  nocr  and  even — the 
Angelus  bells  are  rung,  to  recall  to  our  mind  the 
Incarnation  of  our  Lord,  and  the  participation  of 
Mary  in  this  great  mystery  of  love. 

Her  shrines  are  tastefully  adorned  by  pious 
hands  and  visited  by  devoted  children,  who  wear 
her  relics  or  any  object  which  bears  her  image, 
or  which  is  associated  with  her  name. 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MAEY  183 

Her  natal  day  and  other  days  of  the  year,  sacred 
to  her  memory,  are  appropriately  commemorated 
by  processions,  by  participation  in  the  banquet  of 
the  Eucharist,  and  by  sermons  enlarging  on  her 
virtues  and  prerogatives. 

As  no  one  was  ever  suspected  of  loving  his  coun- 
try and  her  institutions  less  because  of  his  rever- 
ing Washington,  so  no  one  can  reasonably  suppose 
that  our  homage  to  God  is  diminished  by  our  fos- 
tering reverence  for  Mary.  As  our  object  in  eulo- 
gizing Washington  is  not  so  much  to  honor  the  man 
as  to  vindicate  those  principles  of  which  he  was  the 
champion  and  exponent,  and  to  express  our  gTati- 
tude  to  God  for  the  blessings  bestowed  on  our  coun- 
try through  him,  even  so  our  motive  in  commemo- 
rating Mary's  name  is  not  merely  to  praise  her, 
but  still  more  to  keep  us  in  perpetual  remem- 
brance of  our  Lord 's  Incarnation,  and  to  show  our 
thankfulness  to  Him  for  the  blessings  wrought 
through  that  great  mystery  in  which  she  was  so 
prominent  a  figure.  There  is  not  a  grain  of  in- 
cense offered  to  Mary  which  does  not  ascend  to  the 
throne  of  God  Himself. 

Experience  sufficiently  demonstrates  that  the 
better  we  understand  the  part  which  Mary  has 
taken  in  the  work  of  redemption,  the  more  enlight- 
ened becomes  our  knowledge  of  our  Redeemer 
Himself,  and  that  the  greater  our  love  for  her,  the 
deeper  and  broader  is  our  devotion  to  Him;  while 
experience  also  testifies  that  our  Savior's  attri- 
butes become  more  confused  and  warped  in  the 
minds  of  a  people  in  proportion  as  they  ignore 
Mary's  relations  to  Him. 

The  defender  of  a  beleaguered  citadel  concen- 
trates his  forces  on  the  outer  fortifications  and 
towers,  knowing  well  that  the  capture  of  these 
I  outworks  would  endanger  the  citadel  itself,  and 
[that  their  safety  involves  its  security. 


184  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FxiTHERS 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  citadel  of  our  faith,  the 
stronghold  of  our  soul's  affections.  Mary  is  called 
the  ''Tower  of  David,"  and  the  gate  of  Sion  which 
the  Lord  loveth  more  than  all  the  tabernacles  of 
Jacob,^  and  which  He  entered  at  His  Incarnation. 

So  intimately  is  this  living  gate  of  Sion  con- 
nected with  Jesus,  the  Temple  of  our  faith,  that 
no  one  has  ever  assailed  the  former  without  in- 
vading the  latter.  The  Nestorian  would  have 
Mary  to  be  only  an  ordinary  mother  because  he 
would  have  Christ  to  be  a  mere  man. 

Hence,  if  we  rush  to  the  defence  of  the  gate  of 
Sion,  it  is  because  we  are  more  zealous  for  the 
city  of  God.  If  we  stand  as  sentinels  around  the 
tower  of  David,  it  is  because  we  are  more  earnest 
in  protecting  Jerusalem  from  invasion.  If  we 
forbid  profane  hands  to  touch  the  ark  of  the  cov- 
enant, it  is  because  we  are  anxious  to  guard  from 
profanation  the  Lord  of  the  ark.  If  we  are  so  so- 
licitous about  Mary's  honor,  it  is  because  ''the 
love  of  Christ"  presseth  us.  If  we  will  not  per- 
mit a  single  wreath  to  be  snatched  from  her  fair 
brow,  it  is  because  we  are  unwilling  that  a  single 
feature  of  Christ's  sacred  humanity  should  be 
obscured,  and  because  we  wish  that  He  should 
ever  shine  forth  in  all  the  splendor  of  His  glory, 
and  clothed  in  all  the  panoply  of  His  perfections. 

But  you  will  ask:  Why  do  you  so  often  blend 
together  the  worship  of  God  and  the  veneration 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin?  Why  such  exclamations 
as  Blessed  he  Jesus  and  Mary?  Why  do  you 
so  often  repeat  in  succession  the  Lord's  prayer 
and  the  Angelical  salutation  ?  Is  not  this  practice 
calculated  to  level  all  distinctions  between  the 
Creator  and  His  creature,  and  to  excite  the  dis- 
pleasure of  a  God  ever  jealous  of  His  glory? 

1  Ps.  Isxxvi. 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY  185 

Those  who  make  this  objection  should  remem- 
ber that  the  praises  of  the  Lord  and  of  His  Saints 
are  frequently  combined  in  Holy  Scripture  itself. 

Witness  Judith.  On  returning  from  the  tent 
of  Holofernes,  she  sang:  "Praise  ye  the  Lord^  our 
God,  who  hath  not  forsaken  them  that  hope  in 
Him,  and  hy  me  His  handmaid,  He  hath  fulfilled 
His  mercy  which  He  promised  to  the  house  of 
Israel.  .  .  .  And  Ozias,  the  prince  of  the  people 
of  Israel,  said  to  her:  Blessed  art  thou,  0  daugh- 
ter, by  the  Lord  the  Most  High  God,  above  all 
women  upon  the  earth,  Blessed  he  the  Lord  who 
made  heaven  and  earth  .  .  .  because  He  hath  so 
magnified  thy  name  this  day,  that  thy  praise 
shall  not  depart  out  of  the  mouth  of  men. ' '  ^ 

Witness  Ecclesiasticus.  After  glorifying  God 
for  His  mighty  works,  he  immediately  sounds  the 
praises  of  Enoch  and  Noe,  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
Jacob,  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  of  Samuel  and 
Nathan,  of  David  and  Josias,  of  Isaiah  and  Jere- 
miah, and  other  kings  and  prophets  of  Israel. - 

Elizabeth,  in  the  same  breath,  exclaims : 
"Blessed  art  thou  among  women,  and  blessed  is 
the  fruit  of  thy  womb. ' '  ^ 

And  Mary  herself,  under  the  inspiration  of 
Heaven,  cries  out:  *'My  soul  doth  magnify  the 
Lord,  and  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my 
Savior.  .  .  .  For,  behold  from  henceforth  all  gen- 
erations shall  call  me  blessed."  ^ 

Here  are  the  names  of  Creator  and  creature  in- 
terwoven like  threads  of  gold  and  silver  in  the 
same  woof,  without  provoking  the  jealousy  of 
God. 

God  jealous  of  the  honor  paid  to  Mary !  Will  a 
father  be  jealous  of  the  honor  paid  to^his  child, 

1  Judith  xiii.         2  Eccles.  xliii.  et  seq.         3  Luke  i.       *  Ibid. 


186  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

especially  of  a  child  who  reflects  his  own  image 
and  likeness,  and  exhibits  those  virtues  which  he 
had  inculcated  on  her  tender  mind?  And  is  not 
Mary  God's  child  of  predilection!  Will  an  archi- 
tect be  envious  of  the  praise  bestowed  on  a  magnifi- 
cent temple  which  his  genius  planned  and  reared? 
Is  not  the  living  temple  of  Mary's  heart  the  work 
of  the  Supreme  Architect?  Must  she  not  say  with 
all  of  God's  creatures:  ''Thy  hands  (0  Lord)  have 
made  me  and  formed  me."  Is  it  not  He  who  has 
adorned  that  living  temj^le  with  those  rare  beauties 
which  we  so  much  admire?  Has  she  not  declared 
so  when  she  exclaimed:  "He  that  is  mighty  hath 
done  great  things  to  me,  and  holy  is  His  name!"  ^ 

God  jealous  of  the  honor  paid  to  Mary!  As  well 
might  we  imagine  that  the  sun,  if  endowed  with 
intelligence,  would  be  jealous  of  the  mellow,  golden 
cloud  which  encircles  him,  which  reflects  his 
brightness  and  presents  in  bolder  light  his  inacces- 
sible splendor.  As  well  imagine  that  the  same 
luminary  would  be  jealous  of  our  admiration  for 
the  beautiful  rose,  whose  opening  petals  and  rich 
color  and  delicious  fragrance  are  the  fruit  of  his 
beneficent  rays. 

Hence  in  uniting  Mary's  praise  with  that  of 
Jesus  we  are  strictly  imitating  the  sacred  Text. 
We  are  imitating  Joachim,  the  High  Priest,  and 
the  people  of  God  in  Bethulia,  who  unite  the  praises 
of  Judith  with  the  praises  of  Jehovah. 

We  are  imitating  the  sacred  writer  of  Ecclesias- 
ticus  who,  after  extolling  God  for  His  mighty 
works,  sounds  the  praises  of  Enoch  and  Noe,  of 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  of  David  and  Josiah,  of 
Isaiah  and  Jeremiah,  and  other  Kings  and  Proph- 
ets of  Israel. 

We  are  imitating  Elizabeth,  who  exclaimed  in 
one  breath:  "Blessed  art  thou  (Mary)  ameng  women 
and  blessed  is  (Jesus)  the  fruit  of  thy  womb." 

iLuke  i.  49. 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY  187 

And  as  no  one  ever  suspected  tliat  tfee  emcomiums 
prenoimced  on  Judith  and  the  virtuous  Kings  and 
Prophets  of  Israel  detracted  from  God's  honor, 
so  Heither  do  we  lessen  His  glory  in  exalting  the 
Blessed  Virgin.  I  find  Jesus  and  Mary  together 
at  the  manger,  together  in  Egypt,  together  in 
Nazareth,  together  in  the  temple,  together  at  the 
cross.  I  find  their  names  side  by  side  in  the  Apos- 
tles' and  the  Nicene  Creed.  It  is  fitting  that  both 
should  find  a  place  in  my  heart,  and  that  both 
names  should  often  flow  successively  from  my 
lips.  Inseparable  in  life  and  in  death,  they  should 
not  be  divorced  in  my  prayer.  "What  God  hath 
joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asunder." 

II. 

IS  IT  LAWFUL  TO  INVOKE  HER? 

The  Church  exhorts  her  children  not  only  to 
honor  the  Blessed  Virgin,  but  also  to  invoke  her 
intercession.  It  is  evident  from  Scripture  that 
the  Angels  and  Saints  in  heaven  can  hear  our 
prayers  and  that  they  have  the  power  and  the 
will  to  help  us.^  Now,  if  the  angels  are  conversant 
with  what  happens  on  earth ;  if  the  Prophets,  even 
while  clothed  in  the  flesh,  had  a  clear  vision  of 
things  which  were  transpiring  at  a  great  distance 
from  them ;  if  they  could  penetrate  into  the  future 
and  fortell  events  which  were  then  hidden  in  the 
womb  of  time,  shall  we  believe  that  God  withholds 
a  knowledge  of  our  prayers  from  Mary,  who  is 
justly  styled  the  Queen  of  Angels  and  Saints! 
For,  as  Mary's  sanctity  surpasses  that  of  all  other 
mortals,  her  knowledge  must  be  proportionately 
greater  than  theirs,  since  knowledge  coMstitutes 
one  of  the  sources  of  celestial  bliss. 

If  Stephen,  while  his  soul  was  still  in  the  prison 
of  the  body,  ''saiu  the  glory  of  God,  and  Jesus 
1  Geu.  xlviii.  16;  Tobias  xii.  12;  Luke  xv.  10;  Zach.  i.  12,  13. 


188  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHEES 

standing  on  tlie  riglit  hand  of  God;"^  if  Paul 
''heard  secret  words''^  spoken  in  paradise,  is  it 
surprising  that  Mary  hears  and  sees  us,  now  that 
she  is  elevated  to  heaven  and  stands  "face  to 
face"  before  God,  the  perfect  Mirror  of  all  knowl- 
edge? It  is  as  easy  for  God  to  enable  His  Saints 
to  see  things  terrestrial  from  heaven  as  things 
celestial  from  earth. 

The  influence  of  Mary's  intercession  exceeds 
that  of  the  angels,  patriarchs  and  prophets  in  the 
same  degree  that  her  sanctity  surpasses  theirs. 
If  our  heavenly  Father  listens  so  propitiously  to 
the  voice  of  His  servants,  what  will  He  refuse  to 
her  who  is  His  chosen  daughter  of  predilection, 
chosen  among  thousands  to  be  the  Mother  of  His 
beloved  Son?  If  we  ourselves,  though  sinners, 
can  help  one  another  by  our  prayers,  how  irre- 
sistible must  be  the  intercession  of  Mary,  who 
never  grieved  Almighty  God  by  sin,  who  nev^er 
tarnished  her  white  robe  of  innocence  by  the  least 
defilement,  from  the  first  moment  of  her  exist- 
ence till  she  was  received  by  triumphant  angels 
into  heaven. 

In  speaking  of  the  patronage  of  the  Blessed  Vir 
gin,  we  must  never  lose  sight  of  her  title  of  Mother 
of  our  Eedeemer  nor  of  the  great  privileges  which 
that  prerogative  implies.  Mary  was  the  Mother 
of  Jesus.  She  exercised  toward  Him  all  the  in- 
fluence that  a  prudent  mother  has  over  an  affec- 
tionate child.  ''Jesus,"  says  the  Gospel,  ''was 
subject  to  them"^ — that  is,  to  Mary  and  Joseph. 
We  find  this  obedience  of  our  Lord  toward  His 
Mother  forcibly  exemplified  at  the  marriage  feast 
of  Cana.  Her  wishes  are  delicately  expressed  in 
these  words :  "They  have  no  wine."  He  instantly 
obeys  her  by  changing  water  into  wine,  though  the 
lActsvii.  55.  2  n.  Cor  xli.  4.  3  Luke  ii.  51. 


THE  BLESSED  YIKGIN"  MAHY  lUi^ 

time  for  exercising  His  public  ministry  and  fo? 
working  wonders  had  not  yet  arrived. 

Now,  Mary  has  never  forfeited  in  heaven  the 
title  of  Mother  of  Jesus.  She  is  still  Kis  Mother, 
and  while  adoring  Him  as  her  God  she  still  re- 
tains her  maternal  relations,  and  He  exercises  to- 
ward her  that  loving  willingness  to  grant  her  re- 
quest which  the  best  of  sons  entertains  for  the 
best  of  mothers. 

Never  does  Jesus  appear  to  us  so  amiable  and 
endearing  as  when  we  see  Him  nestled  in  the  arms 
of  His  Mother.  We  love  to  contemplate  Him,  and 
artists  love  to  represent  Him,  in  that  situation. 
It  appears  to  me  that  had  we  lived  in  Jerusalem 
in  His  day  and  recognized,  like  Simeon,  the  Lord 
of  majesty  in  the  form  of  an  Infant,  and  bad  we 
a  favor  to  ask  Him,  we  would  present  it  through 
Mary's  hands  while  the  Divine  eyes  of  the  Babe 
were  gazing  on  her  sweet  countenance.  And  even 
so  now.  Never  will  our  prayers  find  a  readier 
acceptance  than  when  offered  through  her. 

In  invoking  Our  Lady's  patronage  we  are  actu- 
ated by  a  triple  sense  of  the  majesty  of  God,  our 
own  unworthiness  and  of  Mary's  incomparable 
influence  with  her  Heavenly  Father.  Conscious 
of  our  natural  lowliness  and  sins,  we  have  fre- 
quent recourse  to  her  intercession  in  the  assured 
hope  of  being  more  favorably  heard. 

"And  even  as  children  who  have  much  offended 
A  too  indulgent  father,  in  great  shame, 
Penitent,  and  yet  not  daring  unattended 
To  go  into  his  presence,  at  the  gate 
Speak  to  their  sister  and  confiding  wait 
Till  she  goes  in  before  and  intercedes ; 
So  men,  repenting  of  their  evil  deeds, 
And  yet  not  venturing  rashly  to  draw  near 
With  their  requests,  an  angry  Father's  ear, 
Offer  to  her  their  prayers  and  their  confession, 
And  she  in  heaven  for  them  makes  intercession."  * 

^  l^ongfellow's  "Golden  Legend." 


190  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Do  you  ask  me,  is  Mary  willing  to  assist  you? 
Does  she  really  take  an  interest  in  your  welfare? 
Or  is  she  so  much  absorbed  by  the  fruition  of  God 
as  to  be  indifferent  to  our  miseries  ?  ' '  Can  a  woman 
forget  her  infant  so  as  not  to  have  pity  on  the  fruit 
of  her  womb  ? "  ^    Even  so  Mary  will  not  forget  us. 

The  love  she  bears  us,  her  children  by  adop- 
tion, can  be  estimated  only  by  her  love  for  her 
Son  by  nature.  It  was  Mary  that  nursed  the  In- 
fant Savior.  It  was  her  hands  that  clothed  Him. 
It  was  her  breast  that  sheltered  Him  from  the 
rude  storm  and  from  the  persecution  of  Herod. 
She  it  was  that  wiped  the  stains  from  His  brow 
when  taken  down  from  the  cross.  Now  we  are  the 
brothers  of  Jesus.  He  is  not  ashamed,  says  the 
Apostle,  to  call  us  His  brethren.^  Neither  is  Mary 
ashamed  to  call  us  her  children  by  adoption.  At 
the  foot  of  the  cross  she  adopted  us  in  the  per- 
son of  St.  John.  She  is  anxious  to  minister  to 
our  souls  as  she  ministered  to  the  corporal  wants 
of  her  Son.  She  would  be  the  instrument  of  God 
in  feeding  us  with  Divine  grace,  in  clothing  us 
with  the  garments  of  innocence,  in  sheltering  us 
from  the  storms  of  temptations,  in  wiping  away 
the  stains  of  sin  from  our  soul. 

If  the  angels,  though  of  a  different  nature  from 
ours,  have  so  much  sympathy  for  us  as  to  rejoice 
in  our  conversion,^  how  great  must  be  the  inter- 
est manifested  toward  us  by  Mary,  who  is  of  a 
common  nature  with  us,  descended  from  the  same 
primitive  parents,  being  bone  of  our  bone,  and 
flesh  of  our  flesh,  and  who  once  trod  the  thorny 
path  of  life  that  we  now  tread ! 

Though  not  of  the  household  of  the  faith,  Edgar 
A.  Poe  did  not  disdain  to  invoke  Our  Lady's  in- 

1  Isaiah  xlix.  15.  2  Heb.  ii.  11,  3  Luke  xv.  7. 


THE  BLESSED  YIRGIX  MAEY  191 

tercession,  and  to  acknowledge  tlie  influence  of 
ber  patronage  in  heaven. 

"At  morn — at  noon — at  twilight  dim — 
Maria  !  tlion  hast  heard  my  hymn  ; 
In  joy  and  woe — in  good  and  ill — 
Mother  of  God,  be  with  me  still ! 
When  the  hours  flew  brightly  by. 
And  not  a  cloud  obscured  the  sky, 
My  soul,  lest  it  should  truant  be, 
Thy  grace  did  guide  to  thine  and  thee; 
Now,  when  storms  of  fate  o'ercast 
Darkly  my  present  and  my  past. 
Let  my  future  radiant  shine. 
With  sweet  hopes  of  thee  and  thine." 

Some  persons  not  only  object  to  tlie  invocation 
of  Mary  as  being  nnprofitable,  but  they  even  af- 
fect to  be  scandalized  at  the  confidence  we  re- 
pose in  her  intercession,  on  the  groundless  as- 
sumption that  by  praying  to  her  we  ignore  and 
dishonor  God,  and  that  we  put  the  creature  on  a 
level  with  the  Creator. 

Every  Catholic  child  knows  from  the  catechism 
that  to  give  to  any  creature  the  supreme  honor 
due  to  God  alone  is  idolatry.  How  can  we  be  said 
to  dishonor  God,  or  bring  Him  down  to  a  level 
with  His  creature  by  invoking  Mary,  since  we  ac- 
knowledge her  to  be  a  pure  creature  indebted 
like  ourselves  to  Him  for  every  gift  and  influence 
that  she  possesses?  This  is  implied  in  the  very 
form  of  our  petitions. 

When  we  address  our  prayers  to  her  we  say: 
Pray  for  us  sinners,  implying  by  these  words  that 
she  herself  is  a  petitioner  at  the  throne  of  Divine 
mercy.  To  God  we  say:  Give  us  our  daily  bread, 
thereby  acknowledging  Him  to  be  the  source  of  all 
bounty. 

This  principle  being  kept  in  view,  how  can  we 
be  justly  accused  of  slighting  God's  majesty  by 
invoking  the  intercession  of  His  handmaid? 


193  THE  FAITH  OF  GUR  FATHEES 

If  a  beggar  asks  and  receives  alms  from  me 
through  my  servant,  should  I  be  offended  at  the 
blessings  which  he  invokes  npon  her?  Far  from 
it.  I  accept  them  as  intended  for  myself,  because 
she  bestowed  what  was  mine,  and  with  my  con- 
sent. 

Our  Lord  says  to  His  Apostles:  "I  dispose  tc 
you  a  kingdom,  that  you  may  eat  and  drink  at  My 
table  in  My  kingdom  and  may  sit  i.  on  thrones, 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  I  "^ael."^  And  St. 
Paul  says:  "Know  you  not  that  we  shall  judge 
angels,  how  much  more  things  of  this  world?"  ^ 
If  the  Apostles  may  sit  at  the  table  of  the  Lord 
in  heaven  without  prejudice  to  His  majesty,  surely 
Our  Lady  can  stand  as  an  advocate  before  Him 
without  infringing  on  His  rights.  If  they  can 
exercise  the  dread  prerogative  of  judges  of  angels 
and  of  men  without  trespassing  on  the  Divine 
judgeship  of  Jesus,  surely  Mary  can  fulfill  the 
more  modest  function  of  intercessor  with  her  Son 
without  intruding  on  His  supreme  mediatorship, 
for  higher  is  the  office  of  judge  than  that  of  ad- 
vocate. And  yet,  while  no  one  is  ever  startled 
at  the  power  given  to  Uiq  Apostles,  many  are  im- 
patient of  the  lesser  privilege  claimed  for  Mary. 

III. 

IS  IT  LAWFUL  TO  IMITATE  HER  AS  A  MODEL? 

But  while  the  exalted  privileges  of  Mary  ren- 
der her  worthy  of  our  veneration,  while  her  saintly 
influence  renders  her  worthy  of  our  invocation, 
hsr  personal  life  is  constantly  held  up  to  us  as 
a  pattern  worthy  of  our  imitation.  If  she  occu- 
pies so  prominent  a  place  in  our  pulpits,  this 
prominence  is  less  due  to  her  prerogatives  as  a 
mother,  or  to  her  intercession  as  a  patroness,  than 
to  her  example  as  a  Saint. 

fcTjiUe  xxii.  29.  30.  21.  Cor.  vi. 


THE  BLESSED  VIEGIX  MAHY  193 

After  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  no  one  has  ever 
exercised  so  salutary  and  so  dominant  an  influ- 
ence as  the  Blessed  Virgin  on  society,  on  the 
family  and  on  the  individual. 

The  Mother  of  Jesus  exercises  throughout  the 
Christian  commonwealth  that  hallowing  influence 
which  a  good  mother  wields  over  the  Christian 
family. 

What  temple  or  chapel,  how  rude  soever  it  may 
be,  is  not  adorned  with  a  painting  or  a  statue  of 
the  Madonna?  What  house  is  not  embellished 
with  an  image  of  Mary?  What  Catholic  child  is 
a  stranger  to  her  familiar  face? 

The  priest  and  the  lajTiian,  the  scholar  and  the 
illiterate,  the  prince  and  the  peasant,  the  mother 
and  the  maid,  acknowledge  her  benign  sway. 

And  if  Christianity  is  so  fruitful  in  comparison 
with  Paganism,  in  conjugal  fidelity,  in  female  pur- 
ity and  in  the  respect  paid  to  womanhood,  these 
l3lessings  are  in  no  small  measure  due  to  the  force 
of  Mary's  all-pervading  influence  and  example. 
Ever  since  the  Son  of  God  chose  a  woman  to  be 
His  mother  man  looks  up  to  woman  with  a  hom- 
age akin  to  veneration. 
"  The  poet  Longfellow  pays  the  following  tribute 
to  Mary's  sanctifying  influence: 

"This  is  indeed  the  blessed  Mary's  land, 
Virgin  and  motlier  of  our  dear  Redeemer ! 
All  hearts  are  touched  and  softened  at  her  name 
Alike  the  bandit  with  the  bloody  hand, 
The  priest,  the  prince,  the  scholar  and  the  peasant 
The  man  of  deeds,  the  visionary  dreamer 
Pay  homage  to  her  as  one  ever  present ! 

And  if  our  faith  had  given  us  nothing  more 

Than  this  example  of  all  womanhood, 

So  mild,  so  merciful,  so  strong,  so  good, 

So  patient,  peaceful,  loyal,  loving,  pure. 

This  were  enough  to  prove  it  higher  and  truer 

Than  all  the  creeds  the  world  had  known  before."* 

"  Longfellow's  "Golden  Legend." 


194  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

St.  Ambrose  gives  us  the  following  beautiful 
picture  of  Mary's  life  before  her  espousals :  "Let 
the  life,"  he  says,  "of  the  Blessed  Mary  be  ever 
present  to  you  in  which,  as  in  a  mirror,  the  beauty 
of  chastity  and  the  form  of  virtue  shine  forth. 
She  was  a  virgin  not  only  in  body,  but  in  mind, 
who  never  sullied  the  pure  affection  of  her  heart 
by  unworthy  feelings.  She  was  humble  of  heart, 
serious  in  her  conversation,  fonder  of  reading 
than  of  speaking.  She  placed  her  confidence 
rather  in  the  prayer  of  the  poor  than  in  the  un- 
certain riches  of  this  world.  She  was  ever  in- 
tent on  her  occupation,  .  .  .  and  accustomed  to 
make  God  rather  than  man  the  witness  of  her 
thoughts.  She  injured  no  one,  wished  well  to 
all,  reverenced  age,  yielded  not  to  envy,  avoided 
all  boasting,  followed  the  dictates  of  reason  and 
loved  virtue.  When  did  she  sadden  her  parents 
even  by  a  look?  .  .  .  There  was  nothing  forward 
in  her  looks,  bold  in  her  words  or  imbecoming 
in  her  actions.  Her  carriage  was  not  abrupt,  her 
gait  not  indolent,  her  voice  not  petulant,  so  that 
her  very  appearance  was  the  picture  of  her  mind 
and  the  figure  of  piety." 

I  Her  life  as  a  spouse  and  as  a  mother  was  a 
counterpart  of  her  earlier  years.  The  Gospel  re- 
lates one  little  circumstance  which  amply  suffices 
to  demonstrate  Mary's  super-eminent  holiness  of 
life,  and  to  exhibit  her  as  a  beautiful  pattern  to 
those  who  are  called  to  rule  a  household.  The 
Evangelist  tells  us  that  Jesus  "was  subject  to 
them"  ^ — that  is,  to  Mary  and  Joseph.  He 
obeyed  all  her  commands,  fulfilled  her  behests, 
complied  with  her  smallest  injunctions ;  in  a 
word,  He  discharged  toward  her  all  the  filial  ob- 
servances which  a  dutiful  son  exercises  towarc'_ 

1  Luke  ii.  51. 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN"  MARY  195 

a  prudent  mother.  These  relations  continued 
from  His  childhood  to  Ilis  public  life,  nor  did 
they  cease  even  then. 

Now  Jesus  being  the  Son  of  God,  ''the  bright- 
ness of  His  glory  and  the  figure  of  His  sub- 
stance," *  could  not  sin.  He  was  incapable  of  ful- 
filling an  unrighteous  precept.  The  obvious  con- 
clusion to  be  drawn  from  these  facts  is,  that  Mary 
never  sinned  by  commanding,  as  Jesus  could  not 
sin  by  obeying;  that  all  her  precepts  and  coun- 
sels were  stamped  with  the  seal  of  Divine  appro- 
bation, and  that  the  Son  never  fulfilled  any  in- 
junction of  His  earthly  Mother  which  was  not 
ratified  by  His  Eternal  Father  in  heaven. 

Such  is  the  beautiful  portrait  which  the  Church 
holds  up  to  the  contemplation  of  her  children, 
that  studying  it  they  may  admire  the  original, 
admiring  they  may  love,  loving  they  may  imitate, 
and  thus  become  more  dear  to  God  by  being  made 
"conformable  to  the  image  of  His  Son,"^  of 
whom  Mary  is  the  most  perfect  mirror. 


iHeb.  i.  3.  ZRom.  viii.  2d. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SACRED  IMAGES. 

THE  veneration  of  the  images  of  Christ  and 
His   Saints  is   a  cherished  devotion  in  the 
Catholic   Church,  and  this  practice  will  be 
vindicated  in  the  following*  lines. 

It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  making  of  holy  images 
was  not  so  general  among  the  Jews  as  it  is 
among  us,  because  the  Hebrews  themselves  were 
prone  to  idolatry,  and  because  they  were  sur- 
rounded by  idolatrous  people,  who  might  miscon- 
strue the  purpose  for  vdiich  the  images  were  in- 
tended. For  the  same  prudential  reasons  the 
primitive  Christians  were  very  cautious  in  mak- 
ing images,  and  very  circumspect  in  exposing 
them  to  the  gaze  of  the  heathen  among  whom 
they  lived,  lest  Christian  images  should  be  con- 
founded with  Pagan  idols. 

The  catacombs  of  Eome,  to  which  the  faithful 
alone  were  admitted,  abounded,  however,  in  sacred 
emblems  and  pious  representations,  which  are 
preserved  even  to  this  day  and  attest  the  practice 
of  the  early  Christian  Church.  We  see  there 
painted  on  the  walls  or  on  vases  of  glass  the 
Dove,  the  emblem  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  Christ  car- 
rying His  cross,  or  bearing  on  His  shoulders  the 
lost  sheep.  We  m.eet  also  the  Lamb,  an  anchor 
and  a  ship — appropriate  types  of  our  Lord,  of 
hope  and  of  the  Church. 

19B 


SACRED  IMAGES  197 

The  first  crusade  against  images  was  waged  'm 
the  eighth  century  by  Leo  the  Isaurian,  Emperor 
of  Constantinople.  He  commanded  the  paintings 
of  our  Lord  and  His  Saints  to  be  torn  down  from 
the  church  walls  and  burned.  He  even  invaded 
the  sanctuary  of  home,  and  snatched  thence  the 
sacred  emblems  which  adorned  private  residences. 
He  caused  statues  of  bronze,  silver  and  gold  to 
be  melted  down  and  conveniently  converted  them 
into  coins,  upon  which  his  own  image  was 
stamped.  Like  Henry  VIII.  and  Cromwell,  this 
royal  Iconoclast  affected  to  be  moved  by  a  zeal 
for  purity  of  worship,  while  avarice  was  the  real 
motive  of  his  action. 

The  Emperor  commanded  the  learned  librar- 
ians of  his  imperial  library  to  give  public  appro- 
bation to  his  decrees  against  images,  and  when 
those  conscientious  men  refused  to  endorse  his 
course  they  were  all  confined  in  the  imperial  li- 
l3rary,  the  building  was  set  on  fire  and  thirty 
thousand  volumes,  the  splendid  basilica  which 
contained  them,  innumerable  paintings  and  the 
librarians  themselves  were  involved  in  one  com- 
mon destruction. 

Constantine  Copronymus  prosecuted  the  van- 
dalism of  Leo,  his  predecessor.  Stephen,  an  in- 
trepid monk,  presented  to  the  Emperor  a  coin 
bearing  that  tyrant's  effigy,  with  these  words? 
''Sire,  whose  image  is  this?"  "It  is  mine,"  re- 
plied the  Emperor.  The  monk  then  threw  down 
the  piece  of  money  and  trampled  it.  He  was  in- 
stantly seized  by  the  imperial  attendants  and  soon 
after  put  to  a  painful  death.  "Alas!"  cried  the 
holy  man  to  the  Emperor,  "if  I  am  punished  for 
dishonoring  the  image  of  a  mortal  monarch,^  what 
punishment  do  they  deserve  who  burn  the  image 
of  Jesus  Christ?" 


198  THE  FAITH  OF  OUK  FATHEES 

The  demolition  of  images  was  revived  by  the 
Reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Paintings 
and  statues  were  ruthlessly  destroyed,  chiefly  in 
the  British  Isles,  Germany  and  Holland,  imder 
the  pretext  that  the  making  of  them  was  idola- 
trous. But  as  the  Iconoclasts  of  the  eighth  cen- 
tury had  no  scruple  about  appropriating  to  their 
own  use  the  gold  and  silver  of  the  statues  which 
they  melted,  neither  had  the  Iconoclasts  of  the 
sixteenth  century  any  hesitation  in  confiscating 
and  worshiping  in  the  idolatrous  churches  whose 
statues  and  paintings  they  broke  and  disfigured. 

A  stranger  who  visits  some  of  the  desecrated 
Catholic  churches  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Con- 
tinent which  are  now  used  as  Protestant  tem- 
ples cannot  fail  to  notice  the  mutilated  statues  of 
the  Saints  still  standing  in  their  niches. 

This  barbaric  warfare  against  religious  memo- 
rials was  not  only  a  grievous  sacrilege,  but  an  out- 
rage against  the  fine  arts ;  and  had  the  destroying 
angels  extended  their  ravages  over  Europe  the 
immortal  works  of  Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael 
would  be  lost  to  us  today. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  Church  regarding 
the  use  of  sacred  images  is  clearly  and  fully  ex- 
pressed by  the  General  Council  of  Trent  in  the 
following  words:  ''The  images  of  Christ,  and  of 
His  Virgin  Mother,  and  of  other  Saints,  are  to 
be  had  and  retained,  especially  in  churches;  and 
a  due  honor  and  veneration  is  to  be  given  to  them; 
not  that  any  divinity  or  virtue  is  believed  to  be 
in  them  for  which  they  are  to  be  honored,  or  that 
any  prayer  is  to  be  made  to  them,  or  that  any 
confidence  is  to  be  placed  in  them,  as  was  for- 
merly done  by  the  heathens,  who  placed  their 
hopes  in  idols;  but  because  the  honor  which  is 
given  them  is  referred  to  the  originals  which  they 


SACRED  IMAGES  199 

represent,  so  that  by  the  images  which  we  kiss, 
and  before  which  we  uncover  our  heads  or  kneel, 
we  adore  Christ  and  venerate  His  Saints,  whose 
likeness  they  represent. ' '  ^ 

Every  Catholic  child  clearly  comprehends  the 
essential  difference  which  exists  between  a  Pagan 
idol  and  a  Christian  image.  The  Pagans  looked 
upon  an  idol  as  a  god  endowed  with  intelligence 
and  the  other  attributes  of  the  Deity.  They  were 
therefore  idolaters,  or  wiage  tvorshipers.  Cath- 
olic Christians  know  that  a  holy  image  has  no 
intelligence  or  power  to  hear  and  help  them.  They 
pay  it  a  relative  respect — that  is,  their  reverence 
for  the  copy  is  proportioned  to  the  veneration 
which  they  entertain  for  the  heavenly  original 
to  which  it  is  also  referred. 

For  the  sake  of  my  Protestant  readers  I  may 
here  quote  their  own  great  Leibnitz  on  the  rever- 
ence paid  to  sacred  images.  He  says,  in  his  Sys- 
tema  Theologicum,  p.  142:  "Though  we  speak  of 
the  honor  paid  to  images,  yet  this  is  only  a  man- 
ner of  speaking,  which  really  means  that  we 
honor  not  the  senseless  thing  which  is  incapable 
of  understanding  such  honor,  but  the  prototype, 
which  receives  honor  through  its  representation, 
according  to  the  teaching  of  the  Council  of  Trent. 
It  is  in  this  sense,  I  take  it,  that  scholastic  writers 
have  spoken  of  the  same  worship  being  paid  to 
images  of  Christ  as  to  Christ  our  Lord  Himself; 
for  the  act  which  is  called  the  worship  of  an 
image  is  really  the  worship  of  Christ  Himself, 
through  and  in  the  presence  of  ^e  image  and  by 
occasion  of  it;  by  the  inclination  of  the  body  to- 
ward it  as  to  Christ  Himself,  as  rendering  Him 
more  manifestly  present,  and  raising  the  mind 
more  actively  to  the  contemplation  of  Him.    Ger- 

*  Sess.  XXV. 


200  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHEES 

tainly,  no  sane  man  thinks,  under  snch  circum- 
stances, of  prayin;::^  in  this  wise :' Give  me,0  image, 
what  I  ask;  to  thee,  O  marble  or  wood,  I  give 
thanks ; '  but '  Thee,  0  Lord,  I  adore ;  to  Thee  I  give 
thanks  and  sing  songs  of  praise.'  Given,  then,  that 
there  is  no  other  veneration  of  images  than  that 
which  means  veneration  of  their  prototype. thereis 
surely  no  more  idolatry  in  it  than  there  is  in  the 
respect  shown  in  the  utterance  of  the  Most  Holy 
Names  of  God  and  Christ;  for,  after  all,  names 
are  but  signs  or  symbols,  and  even  as  such  in- 
ferior to  images,  for  they  represent  much  less 
vividly.  So  that  when  there  is  question  of  honor- 
ing images,  this  is  to  be  understood  in  the  same 
way  as  when  it  is  said  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus 
every  linee  shall  bend,  or  that  the  name  of  the 
Lord  is  blessed,  or  that  glory  be  given  to  His 
Name.  Thus,  the  bowing  before  an  image  out- 
side of  us  is  no  more  to  be  reprehended  than  the 
worshiping  before  an  external  image  in  our  own 
minds;  for  the  external  image  does  but  serve  the 
purpose  of  expressing  visibly  that  which  is  in- 
ternal." 

In  the  Book  of  Exodus  we  read:  "Thou  slialt 
not  make  to  thyself  a  graven  thing,  nor  the  like- 
ness of  anything  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  in 
the  earth  beneath,  nor  of  those  things  that  are  m 
the  waters  under  the  earth.  Thou  shalt  not  adore 
them  nor  serve  them."^  Protestants  contend 
that  these  words  contain  an  absolute  prohibition 
against  the  making  of  images,  while  the  Catholic 
Church  insists  that  the  commandment  referred 
to  merely  prohibits  us  from  worshiping  them  as 
gods. 

The  text  cannot  mean  the  absolute  prohibition 
of  making  images;  for  in  that  case  God  would 

Chan.  XX. 


SACEED  IMAGES  SOI 

contradict  Himself  by  commanding  in  one  part 
of  Scripture  what  He  condemns  in  another.  In 
Exodus  (xxv.  18),  for  instance,  He  commands 
two  cherubim  of  beaten  gold  to  be  made  and 
placed  on  each  side  of  the  oracle;  and  in  Num- 
bers (xxi.  8)  He  commands  Moses  to  make  a 
brazen  serpent,  and  to  set  it  up  for  a  sign,  that 
"whosoever  being  struck  by  the  fiery  serpents 
shall  look  upon  it,  shall  live."  Are  not  cheru- 
bim and  serpents  the  likenesses  of  creatures  in 
heaven  above,  in  the  earth  beneath  and  in  the 
waters  under  the  earth?  for  cherubim  dwell  in 
heaven  and  serpents  are  found  on  land  and  sea. 

We  should  all,  without  exception,  break  the  com- 
mandment were  we  to  take  it  in  the  Protestant 
sense.  Have  you  not  at  home  the  portraits  of 
living  and  departed  relatives  ?  And  are  not  these 
the  likenesses  of  persons  in  heaven  above  and 
on  the  earth  beneath? 

Westminster  Abbey,  though  once  a  Catholic 
Cathedral,  is  now  a  Protestant  house  of  worship. 
It  is  filled  with  the  statues  of  illustrious  men; 
yet  no  one  will  accuse  the  English  church  of  idola.- 
try  in  allowing  those  statues  to  remain  there. 
But  you  will  say:  The  worshipers  in  Westmin- 
ster have  no  intention  of  adoring  these  statues. 
Neither  have  we  any  intention  of  worshiping  the 
statues  of  the  Saints.  An  English  parson  once 
remarked  to  a  Catholic  friend:  "Tom,  don't  you 
pray  to  images?"  "We  pray  before  them,"  re- 
plied Tom;  "but  we  have  no  intention  of  pray- 
ing to  them."  "Who  cares  for  your  intention," 
retorted  the  parson.  ' '  Don 't  you  pray  at  night  1 '  * 
observed  Tom.  "Yes,"  said  the  parson;  "I  pray 
at  my  bed."  "Yes;  you  pray  to  the  bed-post." 
*'0h,  no!"  said  the  reverend  gentleman;  "I  have 


203  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

no  intention  of  doing  that."  "AVlio  cares,"  re- 
plied Tom,  "for  your  intention." 

The  moral  rectitude  or  depravity  of  our  ac- 
tions cannot  be  determined  without  taking  into 
account  the  intention. 

There  are  many  persons  who  have  been  taught 
in  the  nursery  tales,  that  Catholics  worship  idols. 
These  persons,  if  they  visit  Europe  and  see  an 
old  man  praying  before  an  image  of  our  Lord 
or  a  Madonna  which  is  placed  along  the  wayside, 
are  at  once  confirmed  in  their  prejudices.  Their 
zeal  against  idols  takes  fire  and  they  write  home, 
adding  one  more  proof  of  idolatry  against  the  be- 
nighted Romanists.  If  these  superficial  travelers 
had  only  the  patience  to  question  the  old  man  he 
would  tell  them,  with  simplicity  of  faith,  that 
the  statue  had  no  life  to  hear  or  help  him,  but 
that  its  contemplation  inspired  him  with  greater 
reverence  for  the  original. 

As  I  am  writing  for  the  information  of  Protest- 
ants, I  quote  with  pleasure  the  following  passage, 
written  by  one  of  their  own  theologians,  in  the 
Encyclopedic  (Edit.  d'Yverdun,  tom.  1,  art. 
Adorer) : 

"When  Lot  jDrostrates  himself  before  the  two 
angels  it  is  an  act  of  courtesy  towards  honored 
guests ;  when  Jacob  bows  down  before  Esau  it  is 
an  act  of  deference  from  a  younger  to  an  elder 
brother;  when  Solomon  bows  low  before  Beth- 
sabee  it  is  the  honor  which  a  son  pays  to  his 
mother;  when  Nathan,  coming  in  before  David, 
'had  worshiped,  bowing  down  to  the  ground,'  it 
is  the  homage  of  a  suljject  to  his  prince.  But 
when  a  man  prostrates  himself  in  prayer  to  God 
it  is  the  creature  adoring  the  Creator.  And  if 
these  various  actions  are  expressed — sometimes 
by  the  word  adore,  sometimes  by  worship  or  pros- 


SACRED  IMAGES  203 

t rat  ion — it  is  not  the  bare  meaning  of  the  word 
which  has  guided  interpreters  in  rendering  it, 
but  the  nature  of  the  case.  When  an  Israelite 
prostrated  himself  before  the  king  no  one  thought 
of  charging  him  with  idolatry.  If  he  had  done 
the  same  thing  in  the  presence  of  an  idol,  the  very 
same  bodily  act  would  have  been  called  idolatry. 
And  why?  Because  all  men  would  have  judged 
by  his  action  that  he  regarded  the  idol  as  a  real 
Divinity  and  that  he  would  express,  in  respect  to 
it,  the  sentiments  manifested  by  adoration  in  the 
limited  sense  which  we  give  to  the  word.  AVhat 
shall  we  think,  then,  of  what  Catholics  do  to 
show  honor  to  Saints,  to  relics,  to  the  wood  of 
the  cross?  They  will  not  deny  that  their  acts  of 
reverence,  in  such  cases,  are  very  much  like  those 
by  which  they  pay  outward  honor  to  God.  But 
have  they  the  same  ideas  about  the  Saints,  the 
relics  and  the  cross  as  they  have  about  God?  I 
believe  that  we  cannot  fairly  accuse  them  of  it." 
A  gentleman  who  was  present  at  the  unveiling 
of  Clay's  statue  in  the  city  of  Richmond  informed 
me  that  as  soon  as  the  curtain  was  uplifted,  and 
the  noble  form  of  the  Kentucky  statesman  ap- 
peared in  full  view,  the  immense  concourse  of 
spectators  instinctively  uncovered  their  heads. 
"Why  do  you  take  off  your  hat?"  playfully  re- 
marked my  friend  to  an  acquaintance  who  stood 
by.  "In  honor,  of  course,  of  Henry  Clay,"  he 
replied.  "But  Henry  is  not  there  in  the  flesh. 
You  see  nothing  but  clay."  "But  my  intention, 
sir,"  he  continued,  "is  to  do  honor  to  the  orig- 
inal." He  answered  correctly.  And  yet  how 
many  of  the  same  people  would  be  shocked  if 
they  saw  a  man  take  off  his  hat  in  the  presence  of 
a  statue  of  St.  Peter!    It  is  not,  therefore,  the 


204  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHEES 

making  of  the  image,  but  its  worsliip,  that  is  con- 
demned by  the  Decalogue. 

Having  seen  the  lawfulness  of  sacred  images, 
let  us  now  consider  the  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  their  use. 

First — Religious  paintings  embellish  the  house 
of  God.  What  is  more  becoming  than  to  adorn 
the  church,  which  is  the  shadow  of  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,  so  beautifully  described  by  St.  John?  ^ 
Solomon  decorated  the  temple  of  God  with 
images  of  cherubim  and  other  representations. 
"And  he  overlaid  the  cherubim  with  gold.  And 
all  the  walls  of  the  temple  round  about  he  carved 
with  divers  figures  and  carvings."-  If  it  was 
meet  and  proper  to  adorn  Solomon's  temple, 
which  contained  only  the  Ark  of  the  Lord,  how 
much  more  fitting  is  it  to  decorate  our  churches, 
which  contain  the  Lord  of  the  Ark?  When  I  see 
a  church  tastefully  ornamented  it  is  a  sure  sign 
that  the  Master  is  at  home,  and  that  His  devoted 
subjects  pay  homage  to  Him  in  His  court. 

What  beauty,  what  variety,  what  charming  pic- 
tures are  presented  to  our  view  in  this  temple  of 
nature  which  we  inhabit !  Look  at  the  canopy  of 
heaven.  Look  at  the  exquisite  pictures  loainted 
by  the  Hand  of  the  Divine  Artist  on  this  earth. 
"Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field.  ...  I  say  to  you 
that  not  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  ar- 
rayed as  one  of  these."  If  the  temple  of  nature 
is  so  richly  adorned,  should  not  our  temples  made 
with  hands  bear  some  resemblance  to  it? 

How  many  professing  Christians  must,  like 
David,  reproach  themselves  for  "dwelling  in  a 
house  of  cedar,  while  the  ark  of  God  is  lodged 
with  skins."  ^    How  many  are  there  whose  pri- 

'Apoc.  xsl  *III.  Kings  vi. 

®Ii.  Kings  vli,  it- 


SACRED  IMAGES  205 

vate  apartments  are  adorned  witfi  exquisite  paint- 
iu^p^s,  who  affect  to  be  scandalized  at  the  sig'ht  of 
a  single  pious  emblem  in  their  house  of  worship? 
On  the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  Henry  W. 
Beecher's  silver  wedding  several  wealthy  mem- 
bers of  his  congregation  adorned  the  walls  of  Ply- 
mouth church  with  their  private  paintings.  Their 
object,  of  course,  in  doing  so  was  not  to  honor 
God,  but  their  pastor.  But  if  the  portraits  of 
men  were  no  desecration  to  that  church,  how  can 
the  portraits  of  Saints  desecrate  ours  1  ^  And 
what  can  be  more  appropriate  than  to  surround 
the  Sanctuary  of  Jesus  Christ  with  the  portraits 
of  the  Saints,  especially  of  Mary  and  of  the  Apos- 
tles, who,  in  their  life,  ministered  to  His  sacred 
person?  And  is  it  not  natural  for  children  to 
adorn  their  homes  with  the  likenesses  of  their 
Fathers  in  the  faith? 

Second — Religious  paintings  are  the  catechism 
of  the  ignorant.  In  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of 
Church  and  State  in  the  cause  of  education  a 
great  proportion  of  the  human  race  will  be  found 
illiterate.  Descriptive  pictures  will  teach  those 
what  books  make  loiown  to  the  learned. 

How  many  thousands  would  have  died  ignorant 
of  the  Christian  faith  if  they  had  not  been  en- 
lightened by  paintings !  When  Augustine,  the 
Apostle  of  England,  first  appeared  before  King 
Ethelbert  to  announce  to  him  the  Gospel,  a  sil- 
ver crucifix  and  a  painting  of  our  Savior  were 
borne  before  the  preacher,  and  these  images  spoke 
more  tenderly  to  the  eyes  than  his  words  to  the 
ears  of  his  audience. 

By  means   of   religious   emblems    St.   Francis 

*At  the  Washington  and  Lee  University,  Lexington.  Va  ,  In 
xue  sanctuary  of  the  ch'apel,  the  portrait  of  an  oiiuleut  ben<^- 
factor  holds  a  conspicuous  place. 


206  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Xavier  effected  many  conversions  m  India;  and 
by  the  same  means  Father  De  Smet  made  known 
the  Gospel  to  the  savages  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Third — By  exhibiting  religious  paintings  in  our 
rooms  tue  make  a  silent,  tliough  eloquent,  profes- 
sion of  our  faith.  I  once  called  on  a  gentleman 
in  a  distant  city,  some  time  during  our  late  war, 
and,  on  entering  his  library,  I  noticed  two  por- 
traits, one  of  a  distinguished  General,  the  other 
of  an  Archbishop.  These  portraits  at  once  pro- 
claimed to  me  the  religious  and  patriotic  senti- 
ments of  the  proprietor  of  the  house.  "Behold!" 
he  said  to  me,  pointing  to  the  pictures,  "my  re- 
ligious creed  and  my  political  creed."  If  I  see 
a  crucifix  in  a  man's  room  I  am  convinced  at 
once  that  he  is  not  an  infidel. 

Fourth — By  the  aid  of  sacred  pictures  our  de- 
votion and  love  for  the  original  are  intensified, 
because  ive  can  concentrate  our  thoughts  more  in- 
tently on  the  object  of  our  affections.  Mark  how 
the  eye  of  a  tender  child  glistens  on  confronting 
the  painting  of  an  affectionate  mother.  What 
Christian  can  stand  unmoved  when  contemplat- 
ing a  picture  of  the  Mother  of  Sorrows?  How 
much  devotion  has  been  fostered  by  the  Stations 
of  the  Cross?  Observe  the  intense  sympathy  de- 
picted on  the  face  of  the  humble  Christian  woman 
as  she  silently  passes  from  one  station  to  another. 
She  follows  her  Savior  step  by  step  from  the 
Garden  to  Mount  Calvary.  The  whole  scene,  like 
a  panoramic  view,  is  imprinted  on  her  mind,  her 
memory  and  her  affections.  Never  did  the  most 
pathetic  sermon  on  the  Passion  enkindle  such 
heartfelt  love,  or  evoke  such  salutary  resolutions, 
as  have  been  produced  by  the  silent  spectacle  of 
our  Savior  hanging  on  the  cross. 

Fifth — The  portraits  of  the  Saints  stimulate  us 


SACRED  IMAGES  307 

to  the  imitation  of  their  virtues;  and  this  is  the 
principal  aim  which  the  Church  has  in  view  in  en- 
couraging the  use  of  pious  representations.  One 
object,  it  is  true,  is  to  honor  the  Saints ;  another 
is  to  invoke  them;  but  the  principal  end  is  to  in- 
cite us  to  an  imitation  of  their  holy  lives.  We 
a.re  exhorted  to  ''look  and  do  according  to  the 
pattern  shown  us  on  the  mount. ' '  ^  Nor  do  I 
know  a  better  means  for  promoting  piety  than  by 
example. 

If  you  keep  at  home  the  likenesses  of  George 
Washington,  of  Patrick  Henry,  of  Chief  Justice 
Taney,  or  of  other  distinguished  men,  the  copies 
of  such  eminent  originals  cannot  fail  to  exercise 
a  salutary  though  silent  influence  on  the  mind  and 
heart  of  your  child.  Your  son  will  ask  you :  "Who 
are  those  men?"  And  when  you  tell  him:  "This 
is  Washington,  the  Father  of  his  Country;  this 
is  Patrick  Henry,  the  ardent  lover  of  civil  liberty ; 
and  this  is  Taney,  the  incorruptible  Judge,"  your 
boy  will  imperceptibly  imbibe  not  only  a  venera- 
tion for  those  men,  but  a  relish  for  the  civic  virtues 
for  which  they  were  conspicuous.  And  in  like 
manner,  when  our  children  have  constantly  before 
their  eyes  the  purest  and  most  exalted  models  of 
sanctity,  they  cannot  fail  to  draw  from  such  con- 
templation a  taste  for  the  virtues  that  marked 
the  lives  of  the  originals. 

Is  not  our  country  flooded  with  obscene  pictures 
and  iirmodest  representations  which  corrupt  our 
youthlf  If  the  agents  of  Satan  employ  means  so 
vile  for  a  bad  end;  if  they  are  cunning  enough 
to  pour  through  the  senses  into  the  hearts  of  the 
unwary  the  insidious  poison  of  sin,  by  placing  be- 
fore them  lascivious  portraits,  in  God's  name,  why 
should  not  we  sanctify  the  souls  of  our  children 

^Ezod.  xx\    to. 


by  means  of  pious  emblems  ?  Why  should  not  we 
make  the  eye  the  instrument  of  edification  as  the 
enemy  makes  it  the  organ  of  destruction?  Shall 
the  pen  of  the  artist,  the  pencil  of  the  painter  and 
the  chisel  of  the  sculptor  be  prostituted  to  the 
basest  purposes  ?  God  forbid !  The  arts  were  in- 
tended to  be  the  handmaids  of  religion. 

Almost  every  moment  of  the  day  the  eye  is  re- 
ceiving impressions  from  outward  objects  and 
instantly  communicating  these  impressions  to  the 
soul.  Thus  the  soul  receives  every  day  thousands 
of  impressions,  good  or  bad,  according  to  the 
character  of  the  objects  presented  to  its  gaze. 

"We  cannot,  therefore,  over-estimate  the  salu- 
tary effect  produced  upon  us  in  a  church  or  room 
adorned  with  sacred  paintings.  We  feel,  while 
in  their  presence,  that  we  are  in  the  company  of 
the  just.  The  contemplation  of  these  pious  por- 
traits chastens  our  affections,  elevates  our 
thoughts,  checks  our  levity  and  diffuses  around 
us  a  healthy  atmosphere. 

I  am  happy  to  acknowledge  that  the  outcry  for- 
merly raised  against  images  has  almost  subsided 
of  late.  The  epithet  of  idolaters  is  seldom  ap- 
plied to  us  now.  Even  some  of  our  dissenting 
brethren  are  beginning  to  recognize  the  utility  of 
religious  symbols  and  to  regret  that  we  have  been 
permitted,  by  the  intemperate  zeal  of  the  Be- 
formers,  to  have  so  long  the  monopoly  of  them. 
Crosses  already  surmount  some  of  our  Protest- 
ant churches  and  replace  the  weather-cock, 

A  gentleman  of  Eichmond  recently  informed 
me  that  during  the  preceding  Holy  Week  he 
adorned  with  twelve  crosses  an  Episcopal  church 
in  which,  eleven  years  before,  the  sight  of  a  sin- 
gle one  was  viewed  with  horror  by  the  minister. 

May  the  day  soon  come  when  all  Christians 


SACEED  IMAGES  209 

will  join  v>4th  us  not  only  in  venerating  the  sacred 
symbol  of  salvation,  but  in  worshiping  at  the  same 
ritar. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PURGATORY  AND  PRAYERS  FOR  THE  DEAD. 

THE  Catliolic  Church  teaches  that,  besides  a 
place  of  eternal  torments  for  the  wicked'  and 
of  everlasting  rest  for  the  righteous,  there 
exists  in  the  next  life  a  middle  state  of  tempo- 
rary punishment,  allotted  for  those  who  have  died 
m  venial  sin,  or  who  have  not  satisfied  the  jus- 
tice of  God  for  sins  already  forgiven.  She  also 
teaches  us  that,  although  the  souls  consigned  to 
this  intermediate  state,  commonly  called  purga- 
tory, cannot  help  themselves,  they  may  be  aided 
by  the  suffrages  of  the  faithful  on  earth.  The 
existence  of  purgatory  naturally  implies  the  cor- 
relative dogma — the  utility  of  praying  for  the 
dead — for  the  souls  consigned  to  this  middle  state 
have  not  reached  the  term  of  their  journey.  They 
are  still  exiles  from  heaven  and  fit  subjects  for 
Divine  clemency. 

The  doctrine  of  an  intermediate  state  is  thus 
succinctly  asserted  by  the  Council  of  Trent:  * '  There 
is  a  Purgatory,  and  souls  there  detained,  are  helped 
by  the  prayers  of  the  faithful,  and  especially  by  the 
acceptable  Sacrifice  of  the  Altar.  "^ 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  Council  studiously  ab- 
stains from  specifying- the  nature  of  tke  expiating 
sufferings  endured  therein. 
I  Sess.  XXV 

210 


PURGATOEY,  ETC.  211 

Is  it  not  strange  tliat  tkis  clierislied  doctrine 
should  also  be  called  in  question  by  the  leveling 
innovators  of  the  sixteenth  century,  when  we  con- 
sider that  it  is  clearly  taught  in  the  Old  Testament ; 
that  it  is,  at  least,  insinuated  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment; that  it  is  unanimously  proclaimed  by  the 
Fathers  of  the  Church;  that  it  is  embodied  in  all 
the  ancient  liturgies  of  the  Oriental  and  the  West- 
ern church,  and  that  it  is  a  doctrine  alike  conso- 
nant with  our  reason  and  eminently  consoling  to 
the  human  heart? 

First — It  is  a  doctrine  plainly  contained  in  the 
Old  Testament  and  piously  practiced  by  the  He- 
brew people.  At  the  close  of  an  engagement  which 
Judas  Machabeus  had  with  the  enemy  he  ordered 
prayers  and  sacrifices  to  be  offered  up  for  his  slain 
comrades.  ''And  making  a  gathering,  he  sent 
twelve  thousand  drachms  of  silver  to  Jerusalem 
for  sacrifice  to  be  offered  for  the  sins  of  the  dead, 
thinking  well  and  religiously  concerning  the  resur- 
rection. For,  if  he  had  not  hoped  that  they  that 
were  slain  should  rise  again,  it  would  have  seemed 
superfluous  and  vain  to  pray  for  the  dead.  ...  It 
is,  therefore,  a  holy  and  wholesome  thought  to  pray 
for  the  dead,  that  they  may  be  loosed  from  sins."  ^ 

These  words  are  so  forcible  that  no  comment  of 
mine  could  render  them  clearer.  The  passage 
proved  a  great  stumbling-block  to  the  Reformers. 
Finding  that  they  could  not  by  any  evasion  weaken 
the  force  of  the  text,  they  impiously  threw  over- 
board the  Books  of  Machabees,  like  a  man  who 
assassinates  a  hostile  witness,  or  like  the  Jews 
who  sought  to  kill  Lazarus,  lest  his  resurrection 
should  be  a  testimony  in  favor  of  Christ,  and  pre- 
tended that  the  two   books    of   Machabees   were 

III.  Mach.  xii.  43-46. 


212  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

apocryphal.  And  yet  tliey  liave  precisely  the  same 
authority  as  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  or  any  other 
portion  of  the  Bible,  for  the  canonicity  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  rests  solely  on  the  authority  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  which  proclaimed  them  inspired. 

But  even  admitting,  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
that  the  Books  of  Machahees  were  not  entitled  to 
be  ranked  among  the  canonical  Books  of  Holy 
Scripture,  no  one,  at  least,  has  ever  denied  that 
they  are  truthful  historical  monuments,  and  as 
such  that  they  serve  to  demonstrate  that  it  was  a 
prevailing  practice  among  the  Hebrew  people,  as 
it  is  with  us,  to  offer  up  prayers  and  sacrifices  for 
the  dead. 

Second — "When  our  Savior,  the  Founder  of  the 
New  Law,  appeared  on  earth.  He  came  to  lop  off 
those  excrescences  which  had  grown  on  the  body 
of  the  Jewish  ecclesiastical  code,  and  to  purify 
the  Jewish  Church  from  those  human  traditions 
which,  in  the  course  of  time,  became  like  tares 
mixed  with  the  wheat  of  sound  doctrine.  For  in- 
stance. He  condemns  the  Pharisees  for  prohibit- 
ing the  performance  of  works  of  charity  on  the 
Sabbath  day,  and  in  the  twenty-third  chapter  of 
St.  Matthew  He  cites  against  them  a  long  cata- 
logue of  innovations  in  doctrine  and  discipline. 

But  did  our  Lord,  at  any  time,  reprove  the 
Jews  for  their  belief  in  a  middle  state,  or  for 
praying  for  the  dead,  a  practice  which,  to  His 
knowledge,  prevailed  among  the  people!  Never. 
On  the  contrary,  more  than  once  both  He  and  the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  insinuate  the  doctrine  of 
purgatory. 

Our  Savior  says:  "Whosoever  shall  speak  a 
word  against  the  Son  of  man  it  shall  be  forgiven 
him.    But  he  that  shall  speak  against  the  Holy 


PURGATORY,  ETC.  213 

Ghost  it  shall  not  be  forgiven  him,  neither  in  this 
world  nor  in  the  world  to  come."^  When  our 
Savior  declares  that  a  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost 
shall  not  be  forgiven  in  the  next  life,  He  evidently 
leaves  us  to  infer  that  there  are  some  sins  which 
will  be  pardoned  in  the  life  to  come.  Now  in  the 
next  life,  sins  cannot  be  forgiven  in  heaven,  for, 
nothing  defiled  can  enter  there;  nor  can  they  be 
forgiven  in  hell,  for,  out  of  hell  there  is  no  redemp- 
tion. They  must,  therefore,  be  pardoned  in  the 
intermediate  state  of  Purgatory. 

St.  Paul  tells  us  that  ''every  man's  work  shall 
be  manifest"  on  the  Lord's  day.  "The  fire  shall 
try  every  man's  work  of  what  sort  it  is.  If  any 
man's  work  abide,"  that  is,  if  his  works  are  holy, 
''he  shall  receive  a  reward.  If  any  man's  work 
burn,"  that  is,  if  his  works  are  faulty  and  im- 
perfect, "he  shall  suffer  loss;  but  he  himself  shall 
be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire."^  His  soul  will  be 
ultimately 'saved,  but  he  shall  suffer,  for  a  tem- 
porary duration,  in  the  purifying  flames  of  Pur- 
gatory. 

This  interpretation  is  not  mine.  It  is  the  unani- 
mous voice  of  the  Fathers  of  Christendom.  And 
who  are  they  that  have  removed  the  time-honored 
landmarks  of  Christian  faith  by  rejecting  the 
doctrine  of  purgatory!  They  are  discontented 
churchmen  impatient  of  the  religious  yoke,  men 
who  appeared  on  the  stage  sixteen  hundred  years 
after  the  foundation  of  Christianity.  Judge  you, 
reader,  whom  you  ought  to  follow.  If  you  want 
to  know  the  true  import  of  a  vital  question  in 
the  Constitution,  would  you  not  follow  the  de- 
cision of  a  Story,  a  Jefferson,  a  Marshall,  a 
Taney,  jurists  and  statesmen,  who  were  the  rec- 
ognized expounders  of  the  Constitution?    Would 

1  Matt.  xii.  32.  2 1.  Cor.  iii.  13-15, 


214  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHEES 

you  not  prefer  their  opinion  to  that  of  political 
demagogues,  who  have  neither  learning,  nor  au- 
thority, nor  history  to  support  them,  but  some 
selfish  end  to  further?  Now,  the  same  motive 
which  you  have  for  rejecting  the  opinion  of  an 
ignorant  politician  and  embracing  that  of  eminent 
jurists,  on  a  constitutional  question,  impels  you 
to  cast  aside  the  novelties  of  religious  innovators 
and  to  follow  the  unanimous  sentiments  of  the 
Fathers  in  reference  to  the  subject  of  purgatory. 

Third — I  would  wish  to  place  before  you  ex- 
tended extracts  from  the  writings  of  the  early 
Fathers  of  the  Church  bearing  upon  this  subject ; 
but  I  must  content  myself  with  quoting  a  few  of 
the  most  prominent  lights  of  primitive  Christian- 
ity. 

TertuUian,  who  lived  in  the  second  century,  says 
that  "the  faithful  wife  will  pray  for  the  soul  of 
her  deceased  husband,  particularly  on  the  anni- 
versary day  of  his  falling  asleep  (death).  And 
if  she  fail  to  do  so  she  hath  repudiated  her  hus- 
band as  far  as  in  her  lies."  ^ 

Eusebius,  the  historian  (fourth  century),  de- 
scribing the  funeral  of  Constantino  the  Great, 
says  that  the  body  of  the  blessed  prince  was 
placed  on  a  lofty  bier,  and  the  ministers  of  God 
and  the  multitude  of  the  people,  with  tears  and 
much  lamentation,  offered  up  prayers  and  sacri- 
fice for  the  repose  of  his  soul.  He  adds  that  this 
was  done  in  accordance  with  the  desires  of  that 
religious  monarch,  who  had  erected  in  Constanti- 
nople the  great  church  in  honor  of  the  Apostles, 
so  that  after  his  death  the  faithful  might  there 
remember  him.^ 

St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem,  fourth  century,  writes: 
*'We  commemorate  the  Holy  Fathers,  and  Bish- 

1  De  Monogam.,  n.  x.  "  Eiiseb.,  B.  iv.,  c.  73- 


PUKGATOEY,  ETC.  215 

ops,  and  all  who  have  fallen  asleep  from  amongst 
us,  believing  that  the  supplications  which  we  pre- 
sent will  be  of  great  assistance  to  their  souls,  while 
the  holy  and  tremendous  Sacrifice  is  offered  up." 
He  answers  by  an  illustration  those  that  might 
be  disposed  to  doubt  the  efficacy  of  prayers  for 
the  dead:  '*If  a  king  had  banished  certain  per- 
sons who  had  offended  him,  and  their  relations, 
having  woven  a  crown,  should  offer  it  to  him 
in  behalf  of  those  under  his  vengeance,  would  he 
not  grant  a  respite  to  their  punishments?  So 
we,  in  offering  up  a  crown  of  prayers  in  behalf 
of  those  who  have  fallen  asleep,  will  obtain  for 
them  forgiveness  through  the  merits  of  Christ."  ^ 

St.  Ephrem,  in  the  same  century,  says:  "I  con- 
jure you,  my  brethren  and  friends,  in  the  name 
of  that  God  who  commands  me  to  leave  you,  to 
remember  me  when  you  assemble  to  pray.  Do 
nut  bury  me  with  perfumes.  Give  them  not  to 
me,  but  to  God.  Me,  conceived  in  sorrows,  bury 
with  lamentations,  and  instead  of  perfumes  assist 
me  with  your  prayers ;  for  the  dead  are  benefited 
by  the  prayers  of  living  Saints."  ^ 

St.  Ambrose  (same  century),  on  the  death  of 
the  Emperors  Gratian  and  Valentinian,  says: 
*' Blessed  shall  both  of  you  be  (Gratian  and  Val- 
entinian), if  my  prayers  can  avail  anything.  No 
day  shall  pass  you  over  in  silence.  No  prayer 
of  mine  shall  omit  to  honor  you.  No  night  shall 
hurry  by  without  bestowing  on  you  a  mention  in 
my  prayers.  In  every  one  of  the  oblations  will 
I  remember  you."  On  the  death  of  the  Emperor 
Theodosius  he  offers  the  following  prayer :  ' '  Give 
perfect  rest  to  Thy  servant  Theodosius,  that  rest 
which  Thou  hast  prepared  for  Thy  Saints.    May 

» Catech.,  n.  9.  10,  p.  328. 

•Apud  Faith  of  Catholics,  Vol.  III.,  p.  102  and  seq. 


216  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHEES 

liis  soul  return  thither  whence  it  descended,  where 
It  cannot  feel  the  sting  of  death.  ...  I  loved  him 
and  therefore  will  I  follow  him,  even  unto  the  land 
of  the  living.  Nor  will  I  leave  him  until,  by  tears 
and  prayers,  I  shall  lead  him  .  .  .  anto  the  holy 
mountain  of  the  Lord,  where  is  life  undying,  -where 
corruption  is  not,  nor  sighing  nor  mourning. ' '  ^ 

St.  Jerome,  in  the  same  century,  in  a  letter  of 
condolence  to  Pammachius,  on  the  death  of  his 
wife  Paulina,  writes :  *  *  Other  husbands  strew  vio- 
lets and  roses  on  the  gi'aves  of  their  wives.  Our 
Pammachius  bedews  the  hallowed  dust  of  Paulina 
with  balsams  of  alms. ' '  ^ 

St.  Chrysostom  writes:  "It  was  not  without 
good  reason  ordained  by  the  Apostles  that  men- 
tion should  be  made  of  the  dead  in  the  tremen- 
dous mysteries,  because  they  knew  well  that  they 
would  receive  great  benefit  from  it. "  ^ 

St.  Augustine,  who  lived  in  the  beginning  of 
the  fifth  century,  relates  that  when  his  mother 
was  at  the  point  of  death  she  made  this  last  re- 
quest of  him:  ''Lay  this  body  anywhere;  let  not 
the  care  of  it  in  anyway  disturb  you.  This  only 
I  request  of  you,  that  you  would  remember  me 
at  the  altar  of  the  Lord,  wherever  you  be." 

And  that  pious  son  prays  for  his  mother's  soul 
in  the  most  impassioned  language:  "I  therefore," 
he  says,  "0  God  of  my  heart,  do  now  beseech 
Thee  for  the  sins  of  my  mother.  Hear  me  through 
the  medicine  of  the  wounds  that  hung  upon  the 
wood.  .  .  .  May  she,  then,  be  in  peace  with  her 
husband.  .  .  .  And  inspire,  my  Lord,  .  .  .  Thy 
servants,  my  brethren,  whom  with  voice  and  heart 
and  pen  I  serve,  that  as  many  as  shall  read  these 

1  See  Faith  of  Catholics,  Vol.  III.,  p.  176. 
Si  Ibid.,  p.  377.  3  Ibid.,  Vol.  II. 


PURGATORY,  ETC.  21? 

words  may  remember  at  Thy  altar,  Monica,  Thy 
servant.  .  .  .  "  ^ 

These  are  but  a  few  specimens  of  the  unani- 
mous voice  of  the  Fathers  regarding  the  salutary 
practice  of  praying  for  the  dead. 

You  now  perceive  that  this  devotion  is  not  an 
invention  of  modern  times,  but  a  doctrine  uni- 
versally enforced  in  the  first  and  purest  ages  of 
the  Church. 

You  see  that  praying  for  the  dead  was  not  a 
devotion  cautiously  recommended  by  some  ob- 
scure or  visionary  writer,  but  an  act  of  religion 
preached  and  inculcated  by  all  the  great  Doctors 
and  Fathers  of  the  Church,  who  are  the  recog- 
nized expounders  of  the  Christian  religion. 

You  see  them,  too,  inculcating  this  doctrine  not 
as  a  cold  and  abstract  principle,  but  as  an  impera- 
tive act  of  daily  piety,  and  embodying  it  in  their 
ordinary  exercises  of  devotion. 

They  prayed  for  the  dead  in  their  morning  and 
evening  devotions.  They  prayed  for  them  in  their 
daily  office,  and  in  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  They 
asked  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  for  the 
souls  of  the  deceased  in  the  public  services  of 
Sunday.  On  the  monuments  which  were  erected 
to  the  dead,  some  of  which  are  preserved  even  to 
this  day,  epitaphs  were  inscribed,  earnestly  _  in- 
voking tor  their  souls  the  prayers  of  the  living. 
How  gratifying  it  is  to  our  Catholic  hearts  that 
a  devotion  so  soothing  to  afflicted  spirits  is  at 
the  same  time  so  firmly  grounded  on  the  tradition 
of  ages ! 

Fourth — That  the  practice  of  praying  for  the 
dead  has  descended  from  Apostolic  times  is  evi- 
dent also  from  the  Liturgies  of  the  Church.  A 
Liturgy  is  the  established   formulary  of  public 

1  Confessions,  Book  ix. 


SIS  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

worship,  containing  the  authorized  prayers  of  the 
Chmrch.  The  Missal,  or  Mass-book,  for  instance, 
which  you  see  on  our  altars,  contains  a  portion 
of  the  Liturgy  of  the  Catholic  Church.  The  prin- 
cipal Liturgies  are  the  Liturgy  of  St.  James  the 
Apostle,  who  founded  the  Church  of  Jerusalem; 
the  Liturgy  of  St.  Mark  the  Evangelist,  founder 
/of  the  Church  of  Alexandria,  and  the  Liturgy  of 
St.  Peter,  who  established  the  Church  in  Rome. 
These  Liturgies  are  called  after  the  Apostles  who 
compiled  them.  There  are,  besides,  the  Liturgies 
of  St.  Chrysostom  and  St.  Basil,  which  are  chiefly 
based  on  the  model  of  that  of  St.  James. 

Now,  all  these  Liturgies,  without  exception, 
have  prayers  for  the  dead,  and  their  providential 
preservation  serves  as  another  triumphant  vin- 
dication of  the  venerable  antiquity  of  this  Cath- 
olic doctrine. 

The  Eastern  and  the  Western  churches  were 
happily  united  until  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries, 
when  the  heresiarchs  Arius,  Nestorius  and  Euty- 
ches  withdrew  millions  of  souls  from  the  centre 
of  unity.  The  followers  of  these  sects  were  called, 
after  their  founders,  Arians,  Nestorians  and  Euty- 
chians,  and  from  that  day  to  the  present  the  two 
latter  bodies  have  formed  distinct  communions, 
being  separated  from  the  Catholic  Church  in  the 
East,  just  as  the  Protestant  churches  are  sepa- 
rated from  her  in  the  West. 

The  Greek  schismatic  church,  of  which  the  pres- 
ent Eusso-Greek  church  is  the  offspring,  severed 
her  connection  with  the  See  of  Rome  in  the  ninth 
century. 

But  in  leaving  the  Catholic  Church  these  East- 
ern sects  retained  the  old  Liturgies,  which  they 
use  to  this  day,  as  I  shall  presently  demonstrate. 

During  my  sojourn  in  Rome  at  the  Ecumenical 


PURGATORY,  ETC.  219 

Council  I  devoted  a  great  deal  of  my  leisure  time 
to  the  examination  of  the  various  Liturgies  of  the 
schismatic  churches  of  the  East,  I  found  in  all 
of  them  formulas  of  prayers  for  the  dead  almost 
identical  with  that  of  the  Roman  Missal:  "Re- 
member, 0  Lord,  Thy  servants  who  are  gone  be- 
fore us  with  the  sign  of  faith,  and  sleep  in  peace. 
To  these,  0  Lord,  and  to  all  who  rest  in  Christ 
grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  a  place  of  refreshment, 
light  and  peace,  through  the  same  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord." 

Not  content  with  studying  their  books,  I  called 
upon  the  Oriental  Patriarchs  and  Bishops  in  com- 
munion with  the  See  of  Rome,  who  belong  to  the 
Armenian,  the  Chaldean,  the  Coptic,  the  Maronite 
and  Syriac  rites.  They  all  assured  me  that  the 
schismatic  Christians  of  the  East  among  whom 
they  live  have,  without  exception,  prayers  and 
sacrifices  for  the  dead. 

Now,  I  ask,  when  could  those  Eastern  sects  have 
commenced  to  adopt  the  Catholic  practice  of  pray- 
ing for  the  dead?  They  could  not  have  received 
it  from  us  since  the  ninth  century,  because  the 
Greek  church  separated  from  us  then  and  has 
had  no  communion  with  us  since  that  time,  ex- 
cept at  intervals,  up  to  the  twelfth  century.  Nor 
could  they  have  adopted  the  practice  since  the 
fourth  or  fifth  century,  inasmuch  as  the  Arians, 
Nestorians  and  Eutychians  have  had  no  religious 
communication  with  us  since  that  period.  There- 
fore, in  common  with  us,  they  received  this  doc- 
trine from  the  Apostles.  If  men  living  in  differ- 
ent countries  drink  wine  having  the  same  flavor 
and  taste  and  color,  the  inference  is  that  the  wine 
was  made  from  the  same  species  of  grape.  So 
must  we  conclude  that  this  refreshing  doctrine  of 


220  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHEES 

intercession  for  the  dead  has  its  root  in  the  Apos- 
tolic tree  of  Imowledge  planted  by  our  Savior. 

Fifth — I  have  already  spoken  of  the  devotion 
of  the  ancient  Jewish  church  to  the  souls  of  the 
departed.  But  perhaps  you  are  not  aware  that 
the  Jews  retain  to  this  day,  in  their  Liturgy,  the 
pious  practice  of  praying  for  the  dead.  Yet  such 
in  reality  is  the  case. 

Amid  all  the  wanderings  and  vicissitudes  of 
life,  though  dismembered  and  dispersed  like  sheep 
without  a  shepherd  over  the  face  of  the  globe,  the 
children  of  Israel  have  never  forgotten  or  neg- 
lected the  sacred  duty  of  praying  for  their  de- 
ceased brethren. 

Unwilling  to  make  this  assertion  without  the 
strongest  evidence,  I  procured  from  a  Jewish  con- 
vert an  authorized  Prayer-Book  of  the  Hebrew 
church,  from  which  I  extract  the  following 
formula  of  prayers  which  are  prescribed  for 
funerals:  "Departed  brother!  mayest  thou  find 
open  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  see  the  city  of 
peace  and  the  dwellings  of  safety,  and  meet  the 
ministering  angels  hastening  joyfully  toward  thee. 
And  may  the  High  Priest  stand  to  receive  thee, 
and  go  thou  to  the  end,  rest  in  peace,  and  rise 
again  into  life.  May  the  repose  established  in 
the  celestial  abode  ...  be  the  lot,  dwelling  and 
the  resting-place  of  the  soul  of  our  deceased 
brother  (whom  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  may  guide 
into  Paradise),  who  departed  from  this  world,  ac- 
cording to  the  will  of  God,  the  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth.  May  the  supreme  King  of  kings,  through 
His  infinite  mercy,  hide  him  under  the  shadow  of 
His  wing.  May  He  raise  him  at  the  end  of  his 
days  and  cause  him  to  drink  of  the  stream  of 
His  delights."! 

1  Jewish  Prayer  Book.     Edited  by  Isaac  Leeser,  published  by 
«lote  &  Mooney;  Philadelphia 


PURGATORY,  ETC.  231 

Among  the  many-sided  merits  of  Shakespeare 
may  be  mentioned  his  happy  faculty  of  portraying 
to  life  the  manners  and  customs  and  traditional 
faith  of  the  times  which  he  describes.  How  deep- 
rooted  in  the  Christian  heart  in  pre-Reformation 
times,  was  the  belief  in  Purgatory,  may  be  inferred 
from  a  passage  in  Hamlet  who  probably  lived  in 
the  early  part  of  the  eighth  century.  Thus  speaks 
to  Hamlet  the  spirit  of  his  murdered  father: 

"I  am  thy  father's  spirit. 
Doom'd  for  a  certain  time  to  walk  the  night; 
And  for  the  day  confin'd  too  fast  in  fires, 
Till  the  foul  crimes  done  in  my  days  of  nature 
Are  burnt  and  purg'd  away."i 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  the  more  advanced  and 
enlightened  members  of  the  Episcopalian  church 
are  steadily  returning  to  the  faith  of  their  fore- 
fathers regarding  prayers  for  the  dead.  An  ac- 
quaintance of  mine,  once  a  distinguished  clergy- 
man of  the  Episcopal  communion,  but  now  a  con- 
vert, informed  me  that  hundreds  of  Protestant 
clergymen  in  this  country,  and  particularly  in 
England,  have  a  firm  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  pray- 
ers for  the  dead,  but  for  well-known  reasons  they 
are  reserved  in  the  expression  of  their  faith.  He 
easily  convinced  me  of  the  truth  of  his  assertion, 
particularly  as  far  as  the  Church  of  England  is 
concerned,  by  sending  me  six  different  works  pub- 
lished in  London,  all  bearing  on  the  subject  of 
Purgatory.  These  books  are  printed  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church;  they  all 
contain  prayers  for  the  dead  and  prove,  from  Cath- 
olic grounds,  the  existence  of  a  middle  state  after 
death  and  the  duty  of  praying  for  our  deceased 
brethren.^ 

1  Act.  I.  2  See  Path  of  Holiness,  Rivington's,  London.  Treas- 
ury of  Devotion,  Ibid.  Catechism  of  Theology,  Masten,  London. 


223  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

To  sum  up,  we  see  the  practice  of  praying  for 
the  dead  enforced  in  the  ancient  Hebrew  church 
and  in  the  Jewish  synagogue  of  today.  We  see  it 
proclaimed  age  after  age  by  all  the  Fathers  of 
Christendom.  We  see  it  incorporated  in  every 
one  of  the  ancient  Liturgies  of  the  East  and  of  the 
West.  We  see  it  zealously  taught  by  the  Russian 
church  of  today,  and  by  that  immense  family  of 
schismatic  Christians  scattered  over  the  East.  We 
behold  it,  in  fine,  a  cherished  devotion  of  three  hun- 
dred millions  of  Catholics,  as  well  as  of  a  respect- 
able portion  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

Would  it  not,  my  friend,  be  the  height  of  rash- 
ness and  presumption  in  you  to  prefer  your  pri- 
vate opinion  to  this  immense  weight  of  learning, 
sanctity  and  authority?  Would  it  not  be  impiety 
in  you  to  stand  aside  with  sealed  lips  while  the 
Christian  world  is  sending  up  an  unceasing  De 
profundis  for  departed  brethren?  Would  it  not 
be  cold  and  heartless  in  you  not  to  pray  for  your 
deceased  friends,  on  account  of  prejudices  which 
have  no  grounds  in  Scripture,  tradition  or  reason 
itself? 

If  a  brother  leaves  you  to  cross  the  broad  At- 
lantic, religion  and  affection  prompt  you  to  pray 
for  him  during  his  absence.  And  if  the  same 
brother  ©rosses  the  narrow  sea  o-f  death  to  pass 
to  the  shores  of  eternity,  why  not  pray  for  him 
then  also?  When  he  crosses  the  Atlantic  his  soul, 
imprisoned  in  the  flesh,  is  absent  from  you ;  when 
he  passes  the  sea  of  death  his  soul,  released  from 
the  flesh,  has  gone  from  you.  What  difference 
does  this  make  with  regard  to  the  duty  of  your 
intercession?  For  what  is  death?  A  mere  sepa- 
ration of  body  and  soul.  The  body,  indeed,  dies, 
but  the  soul  "lives  and  moves  and  has  its  being." 
It  continues  after  death,  as  before,  to  think,  to 


PURGATORY,  ETC.  233 

remember,  to  love.  And  do  not  God's  dominion 
and  mercy  extend  over  that  soul  beyond  the  grave 
as  well  as  as  this  side  of  it?  Who  shall  place 
the  limits  to  God's  empire  and  say  to  Him: 
"Thus  far  Thou  shalt  go  and  no  farther?"  Two 
thousand  years  after  Abraham's  death  our  Lord 
said:  "I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and 
of  Jacob.  He  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of 
the  living. ' '  ^ 

If,  then,  it  is  profitable  for  you  to  pray  for 
your  brother  in  the  flesh,  why  should  it  be  useless 
for  you  to  pray  for  him  out  of  the  flesh?  For 
while  he  was  living  you  prayed  not  for  his  body, 
but  for  his  soul. 

If  this  brother  of  yours  dies  with  some  slight 
stains  upon  his  soul,  a  sin  of  impatience,  for  in- 
stance, or  an  idle  word,  is  he  fit  to  enter  heaven 
with  these  blemishes  upon  his  soul?  No ;  the  sanc- 
tity of  God  forbids  it,  for  ''nothing  defiled  shall 
enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven."-  Will  you  con- 
sign him,  for  these  minor  transgressions,  to  eter- 
nal torments  with  adulterers  and  murderers  ?  No ; 
the  justice  and  mercy  of  God  forbid  it.  There- 
fore, your  common  sense  demands  a  middle  place 
of  expiation  for  the  purgation  of  the  soul  before 
it  is  worthy  of  enjoying  the  companionship  of  God 
and  His  Saints. 

God  ' '  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his 
works," — to  the  pure  and  unsullied  everlasting 
bliss;  to  the  reprobate  eternal  damnation;  to  souls 
stained  with  minor  faults  a  place  of  temporary 
purgation.  I  cannot  recall  any  doctrine  of  the 
Christian  religion  more  consoling  to  the  human 
heart  than  the  article  of  faith  which  teaches  the 

1  Mark  xii.  26,  27.  2  Apoc.  xxi.  27. 


224  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

efficacy  of  prayers  for  the  faithful  departed.  It 
robs  death  of  its  sting.  It  encircles  the  chamber 
of  mourning  with  a  rainbow  of  hope.  It  assuages 
the  bitterness  of  our  sorrow,  and  reconciles  us  to 
our  loss.  It  keeps  us  in  touch  with  the  departed 
dead  as  correspondence  keeps  us  in  touch  with  the 
absent  living.  It  preserves  their  memory  fresh  and 
gTeen  in  our  hearts. 

It  gives  us  that  keen  satisfaction  which  springs 
from  the  consciousness  that  we  can  aid  those  loved 
ones  who  are  gone  before  us  by  alleviating  their 
pains,  shortening  their  exile,  and  hastening  their 
entrance  into  their  true  country. 

It  familiarizes  us  with  the  existence  of  a  life  be- 
yond the  grave,  and  with  the  hope  of  being  re- 
united with  those  whom  we  cherished  on  earth,  and 
of  dwelling  with  them  in  that  home  where  there  is 
no  separation,  or  sorrow,  or  death,  but  eternal  joy 
and  peace  and  rest. 

I  have  seen  a  devoted  daughter  minister  with 
tender  solicitude  at  the  sick-bed  of  a  fond  parent. 
Many  an  anxious  day  and  sleepless  night  did  she 
watch  at  his  bedside.  She  moistened  the  parched 
lips,  and  cooled  the  fevered  brow,  and  raised  the 
drooping  head  on  its  pillow.  Every  change  in 
her  patient  for  better  or  worse  brought  a  corre- 
sponding sunshine  or  gloom  to  her  heart.  It  was 
filial  love  that  prompted  all  this.  Her  father 
died  and  she  followed  his  remains  to  the  grave. 
Though  not  a  Catholic,  standing  by  the  bier  she 
burst  those  chains  which  a  cruel  religious  preju- 
dice had  wrought  around  her  heart,  and,  rising 
superior  to  her  sect,  she  cried  out:  Lord,  have 
mercy  on  his  soul.  It  was  the  voice  of  nature  and 
of  religion. 

Oh,  far  from  us  a  religion  which  would  decree 
an  eternal  divorce  between  the  livin;^  and  tho 


PUEGATOEY,  ETC.  225 

dead.  How  consoling  is  it  to  the  Catholic  to  think 
that,  in  praying  thus  for  his  departed  friend,  his 
prayers  are  not  in  violation  of,  bnt  in  accordance 
with,  the  voice  of  the  Church;  and  that  as,  like 
Augustine,  he  watches  at  the  pillow  of  a  dying 
mother,  so  like  Augustine,  he  can  continue  the 
same  office  of  piety  for  her  soul  after  she  is  dead 
by  praying  for  her!  How  cheering  the  reflection 
that  the  golden  link  of  prayer  unites  you  still  to 
those  who  ''fell  asleep  in  the  Lord,"  that  you 
can  still  speak  to  them  and  pray  for  them! 

Tennyson  grasps  the  Catholic  feeling  when  he 
makes  his  hero,  whose  course  is  run,  thus  address 
his  surviving  comrade,  Sir  Bedivere: 

*'I  have  lived  my  life,  and  that  which  I  have  done 
May  He  within  Himself  make  pure ;  but  thou, 
If  thou  shouldst  never  see  my  face  again, 
Pray  for  my  soul.     More  things  are  wrought  by  prayer 
Than  this  world  dreams  of.     Wherefore,  let  thy  voice 
Rise  like  a  fountain  for  me  night  and  day. 
For  what  are  men  better  than  sheep  or  goats 
That  nourish  a  blind  life  within  the  brain. 
If  knowing  God  they  lift  not  hands  of  prayer 
Both  for  themselves  and  those  who  call  them  friend? 
For   so  the  whole  round   earth  is   every   way 
Bound  by  gold  chains  about  the  feet  of  God."  ^ 

Oh!  it  is  this  thought  that  robs  death  of  its 
sting  and  makes  the  separation  of  friends  endur-  ij 
able.  If  your  departed  friend  needs  not  your  i\ 
prayers,  they  are  not  lost,  but,  like  the  rain  ab- 
sorbed by  the  sun,  and  descending  again  in  fruit- 
ful showers  on  our  fields,  they  will  be  gathered 
by  the  Sun  of  justice,  and  will  fall  in  refreshing 
showers  of  grace  upon  your  head:  "Cast  thy 
bread  upon  the  running  waters ;  for,  after  a  long 
time,  thou  shalt  find  it  again.  "^ 

'Morte  D'Arthur.  2  Eccles.  xi.  1. 


CHAPTER  XVff. 

CIVIL  AND  RELIGIOUS  LIBER'iT. 

A  MAN  enjoys  religious  liberty  when  lie  pos- 
sesses the  free  right  of  worshiping  God  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  a  right  conscience, 
and  of  practicing  a  form  of  religion  most  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  duties  to  God.  Every  act  in- 
fringing on  his  freedom  of  conscience  is  justly 
styled  religious  intolerance.  This  religious  lib- 
erty is  the  true  right  of  every  man  because  it  cor- 
responds with  a  most  certain  duty  which  God  has 
put  upon  him. 

A  man  enjoys  civil  liberty  when  he  is  exempt 
from  the  arbitrary  will  of  others,  and  when  he  is 
governed  by  equitable  laws  established  for  the 
general  welfare  of  society.  So  long  as,  in  com- 
mon with  his  fellow-citizens,  he  observes  the  laws 
of  the  state,  any  exceptional  restraint  imposed 
upon  him,  in  the  exercise  of  his  rights  as  a  citi- 
zen, is  so  far  an  infringement  on  his  civil  liberty. 

I  here  assert  the  proposition,  which  I  hope  to 
confirm  by  historical  evidence,  that  the  Catholic 
Church  has  always  been  the  zealous  promoter  of 
religious  and  civil  liberty ;  and  that  whenever  any 
encroachments  on  these  sacred  privileges  of  man 
were  perpetrated  by  professing  members  of  the 
Catholic  faith,  these  wrongs,  far  from  being  sanc- 
tioned by  the  Church,  were  committed  in  palpable 
violation  of  her  authority. 

226 


CIVIL  AND  EELIGIOUS  LIBERTY  227 

Her  doctrine  is,  that  as  man  by  his  ow7i  free  will 
fell  from  grace,  so  of  his  own  free  will  must  he 
return  to  grace.  Conversion  and  coercion  are  two 
terms  that  can  never  be  reconciled.  It  has  ever 
been  a  cardinal  maxim,  inculcated  by  sovereign 
Pontiffs  and  other  Prelates,  that  no  violence  or  un- 
due influence  should  be  exercised  by  Christian 
princes  or  missionaries  in  their  efforts  to  convert 
souls  to  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Pope  Gregory  L  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Sixth 
Century,  compelled  the  Bishop  of  Terracina  to  re- 
store to  the  Jews,  the  synagogue  which  he  had 
seized,  declaring  that  they  should  not  be  coerced 
into  the  Church,  but  should  be  treated  with  meek- 
ness and  charity.  The  great  Pontiff  issued  the 
same  orders  to  the  Prelates  of  Sardinia  and  Sicily 
in  behalf  of  the  persecuted  Jews. 

St.  Augustine  and  his  companions,  who  were 
sent  by  Pope  Gregory  L  to  England  for  the  con- 
version of  that  nation,  had  the  happiness  of  bap- 
tizing in  the  true  faith  King  Ethelbert  and  many 
of  his  subjects.  That  monarch,  in  the  fei-vor  of  his 
zeal,  was  most  anxious  that  all  his  subjects  should 
immediately  follow  his  example;  but  the  mission- 
aries admonished  him  that  he  should  scrupulously 
abstain  from  violence  in  the  conversion  of  his  peo- 
ple, for  the  Christian  religion  should  be  voluntarily 
embraced. 

Pope  Nicholas  L  also  warned  Michael,  king  of 
the  Bulgarians,  against  employing  force  or  con- 
straint in  the  conversion  of  idolaters. 

The  fourth  Council  of  Toledo,  held  in  633,  a 
synod  of  great  authority  in  the  Church,  ordained 
that  no  one  should  be  compelled  against  his  will  to 
make  a  profesion  of  the  Christian  faith.  Be  it  re- 
membered that  this  Council  was  composed  of  all 
the  Bishops  of  Spain,  that  it  was  assembled  in  a 


328  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

country  and  at  a  time  in  wliicli  the  Chureli  held  al- 
most unlimited  sway,  and  among  a  people  who 
have  been  represented  as  the  most  fanatical  and 
intolerant  of  all  Europe. 

Perhaps  no  man  can  be  considered  a  fairer  rep- 
resentative of  the  age  in  which  he  lived  than  St. 
Bernard,  the  illustrious  Abbot  of  Claii'vaux.  He 
was  the  embodiment  of  the  spirit  of  the  Middle 
Ages.  His  life  is  the  key  that  discloses  to  us  what 
degree  of  toleration  prevailed  in  those  days.  Hav- 
ing heard  that  a  fanatical  preacher  was  stimulat- 
ing the  people  to  deeds  of  violence  against  the  Jews 
as  the  enemies  of  Christianity,  St.  Bernard  raised 
Ms  eloquent  voice  against  him,  and  rescued  those 
persecuted  people  from  the  danger  to  which  they 
were  exposed. 

Pope  Innocent  III.  in  the  Thirteenth  Century 
promulgated  the  following  Decree  in  behalf  of  the 
Hebrews:  "Let  no  Jew  be  constrained  to  receive 
baptism,  and  he  that  will  not  consent  to  be  bap- 
tized, let  him  not  be  molested.  Let  no  one  unjustly 
seize  their  property,  disturb  their  feasts,  or  lay 
waste  their  cemeteries." 

Other  succeeding  Pontiffs,  notably  Gregory  IX. 
and  Innocent  IV.,  issued  similar  instructions. 

Not  to  cite  too  many  examples,  let  me  quote 
for  you  only  the  beautiful  letter  addressed  by 
Fenelon,  Archbishop  of  Cambray,  to  the  son  of 
King  James  II.  of  England.  This  letter  not  only 
reflects  the  sentiments  of  his  own  heart,  but 
formularizes  in  this  particular  the  decrees  of  the 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  distinguished  orna- 
ment. "Above  all,"  he  writes,  "never  force  your 
subjects  to  change  their  religion.  No  human 
power  can  reach  the  impenetrable  recess  of  the 
free  will  of  the  heart.  Violence  can  never  per- 
suade men;  it  serves  only  to  make  hypocrites. 


CIVIL  AND  EELIGIOUS  LIBEETY         229 

Grant  civil  liberty  to  all,  not  in  approving  every- 
thing as  indifferent,  but  in  tolerating  with  pa- 
tience whatever  Almighty  God  tolerates,  and  en- 
deavoring to  convert  men  by  mild  persuasion."  ^ 

It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  Catholic  Church 
spares  no  pains  and  stops  at  no  sacrifice  in  order 
to  induce  mankind  to  embrace  her  faith.  Other- 
wise she  would  be  recreant  to  her  sacred  mission. 
But  she  scorns  to  exercise  any  undue  influence  in 
her  eiforts  to  convert  souls. 

The  only  argument  she  would  use,  is  the  argu- 
ment of  reason  and  persuasion;  the  only  tribunal 
to  which  she  would  summon  you,  is  the  tribunal  of 
conscience;  the  only  weapon  she  would  wield,  is 
*'the  Sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  Word  of 
God."  It  is  well  known  that  the  superior  advan- 
tages of  our  female  academies  throughout  the  coun- 
try lead  many  of  our  dissenting  brethren  to  send 
their  daughters  to  these  institutions.  It  is  also 
well  known  that  so  warm  is  the  affection  which 
these  young  ladies  entertain  for  their  religious 
teachers,  so  hallowed  is  the  atmosphere  they 
breathe  within  these  seats  of  learning,  that  they 
often  beg  to  embrace  a  religion  which  fosters  so 
much  piety  and  which  produces  lilies  so  fragrant 
and  so  pure.  Do  the  sisters  take  advantage  of 
this  influence  in  the  cause  of  proselytism?  By  no 
means.  So  delicate  is  their  regard  for  the  relig- 
ious conscience  of  their  pupils,  that  they  rarely 
consent  to  have  these  young  ladies  baptized  till, 
after  being  thoroughly  instructed  in  all  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Church,  they  have  obtained  the  free 
permission  of  their  parents  or  guardians. 

The  Church  is,  indeed,  intolerant  in  this  sense, 
that  she  can  never  confound  truth  with  error ;  nor 
can  she  admit  that  any  man  is  conocientiously 

iVie  de  Fenelon. 


230  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

free  to  reject  the  truth  when  its  claims  are  con- 
vincingly brought  home  to  the  mind.  Many  Prot- 
estants seem  to  be  very  much  disturbed  by  some 
such  argument  as  this:  Catholics  are  very  ready 
now  to  proclaim  freedom  of  conscience,  because 
they  are  in  the  minority.  When  they  once  suc- 
ceed in  getting  the  upper  hand  in  numbers  and 
power  they  will  destroy  this  freedom,  because 
their  faith  teaches  them  to  tolerate  no  doctrine 
other  than  the  Catholic.  It  is,  then,  a  matter  of 
absolute  necessity  for  us  that  they  should  never 
be  allowed  to  get  this  advantage. 

Now,  in  all  this,  there  is  a  great  mistake,  which 
comes  from  not  knowing  the  Catholic  doctrine  in 
its  fulness.  I  shall  not  lay  it  down  myself,  lest 
it  seem  to  have  been  gotten  up  for  the  occasion. 
I  shall  quote  the  great  theologian  Becanus,  who 
taught  the  doctrine  of  the  schools  of  Catholic 
Theology  at  the  time  when  the  struggle  was  hot- 
test between  Catholicity  and  Protestantism.  He 
say;?  that  religious  liberty  may  be  tolerated  by  a 
ruler  when  it  would  do  more  harm  tt)  the  state 
or  to  the  community  to  repress  it.  The  ruler 
may  even  enter  into  a  compact  in  order  to  secure 
to  his  subjects  this  freedom  in  religious  matters; 
and  when  once  a  compact  is  made  it  must  be 
observed  absolutely  in  every  point,  just  as  every 
other  lawful  and  honest  contract.^  This  is  the 
true  Catholic  teaching  on  this  point,  according 
to  Becanus  and  all  Catholic  theologians.  So  that 
if  Catholics  should  gain  the  majority  in  a  com- 
munity where  freedom  of  conscience  is  already 
secured  to  all  by  law,  their  very  religion  obliges 
them  to  respect  the  rights  thus  acquired  by  their 
fellow-citizens.  What  danger  can  their  be,  then, 
for  Protestants,  if  Catholics  should  be  in  the  ma- 

1  Becanus,  de  Virtutibus  Theologieis,  c.  16,  qusest.  4,  No.  2. 


CIVIL  AND  EELIGIOUS  LIBEETY         231 

jority  here!  Their  apprehensions  are  the  result 
of  vain  fears,  which  no  honest  mind  ought  any 
longer  to  harbor. 

The  Church  has  not  only  respected  the  con- 
science of  the  people  in  embracing  the  religion 
of  their  choice,  but  she  has  also  defended  their 
civil  rights  and  liberties  against  the  encroach- 
ments of  temporal  sovereigns.  One  of  the  popu- 
lar errors  that  have  taken  possession  of  some 
minds  in  our  times  is  that  in  former  days  the 
Church  was  leagued  with  princes  for  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  people.  This  is  a  base  calumny,  which 
a  slight  acquaintance  with  ecclesiastical  history 
would  soon  dispel. 

The  truth  is,  the  most  unrelenting  enemies  of 
the  Church  have  been  the  princes  of  this  world, 
and  so-called  Christians  princes,  too. 

The  conflict  between  Church  and  State  has 
never  died  out,  because  the  Church  has  felt  it  to 
be  her  duty,  in  every  age,  to  raise  her  voice 
against  the  despotic  and  arbitrary  measures  of 
princes.  Many  of  them  chafed  under  the  salutary 
discipline  of  the  Church.  They  wished  to  be  rid  of 
her  yoke.  They  desired  to  be  governed  by  no  law 
except  the  law  of  their  licentious  passions  and 
boundless  ambitions.  And  as  a  Protestant  Aineri- 
can  reviewer^  well  said  about  forty  years  ago,  it  was 
a  blessing  of  Providence  that  there  was  a  spiritual 
Power  on  earth  that  could  stand  like  a  wall  of  brass 
against  the  tyranny  of  earthly  sovereigns  and  say 
to  them:  '^Thus  far  you  shall  go,  and  no  farther, 
and  here  you  shall  break  your  swelling  waves"  of 
passion;  a  Power  that  could  say  to  them  what 
John  said  to  Herod:  ''This  thing  is  not  lawful 
for  thee;'*  a  Power  that  pointed  the  finger  of 
reproof  to  them,  even  when  the  sword  was  pointed 

1  Dr.  Brownson,  wha  was  then  a  Protestant. 


233  THE  PAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

to  her  own  neck,  and  that  said  to  them  what 
Nathan,  said  to  David :  '  *  Thou  art  the  man. ' '  She 
told  princes  that  if  the  people  have  their  obliga- 
tions they  have  their  rights,  too;  that  if  the  sub- 
ject must  render  to  Cassar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's,  Caesar  must  render  to  God  the  things  that 
art  God's. 

Yes ;  the  Church,  while  pursuing  her  Divine  mis- 
sion of  leading  souls  to  God,  has  ever  been  the 
defender  of  the  people's  rights. 

St.  Ambrose,  Archbishop  of  Milan,  affords  us  a 
striking  instance  of  the  strenuous  efforts  made  by 
the  Catholic  Church  in  vindicating  the  interests 
of  the  citizen  against  the  oppression  of  rulers. 

A  portion  of  the  people  of  Thessalonica  had 
committed  an  outrage  against  the  just  authority 
of  the  Emperor  Theodosius.  The  offence  of  those 
citizens  was  indeed  most  reprehensible;  but  the 
Emperor  requited  the  insult  offered  to  him  by  a 
shocking  and  disproportioned  act  of  retribution, 
which  has  left  an  indelible  stain  upon  his  other- 
wise excellent  character.  The  inhabitants  were 
assembled  together  for  the  ostensible  purpose  of 
witnessing  a  chariot  race,  and  at  a  given  signal 
the  soldiery  fell  upon  the  people  and  involved 
men,  women  and  children  in  an  indiscriminate 
massacre,  to  the  number  of  about  seven  thousand. 
Some  time  after  the  Emperor  presented  himself 
at  the  Cathedral  of  Milan ;  but  the  intrepid  Prelate 
told  him  that  his  hands  were  dripping  with  the 
blood  of  his  subjects,  and  forbade  him  entrance 
to  the  church  till  he  had  made  all  the  reparation 
in  his  power  to  the  afflicted  people  of  Thessalonica. 

People  affect  to  be  shocked  at  the  sentence  of 
ex-communication  occasionally  inflicted  by  the 
Church  on  evil-doers.  Here  is  an  instance  of  this 
penalty.    Who  can  complain  of  it  as  being  too 


CIVIL  AND  EELIGIOUS  LIBERTY  233 

severe?  It  was  a  salutary  pimisliment  and  the 
only  one  that  could  bring  rulers  to  a  sense  of  duty. 

The  greatest  bulwark  of  civil  liberty  is  the 
famous  Magna  Cliarta.  It  is  the  foundation  not 
only  of  British,  but  also  of  American  constitu- 
tional freedom.  Among  other  blessings  contained 
in  this  instrument  it  establishes  trial  by  jury  and 
the  right  of  Habeas  Corpus,  and  provides  that 
there  shall  be  no  taxation  without  representation. 

AVho  were  the  framers  of  this  memorable  char- 
ter? Archbishop  Langton,  of  Canterbury,  and 
the  Catholic  Barons  of  England.  On  the  plains  of 
Eunnymede,  in  1215,  they  compelled  King  John 
to  sign  that  paper  which  was  the  death-blow  to  his 
arbitrary  power  and  the  cornerstone  of  constitu- 
tional government. 

Turning  to  our  own  country,  it  is  with  no  small 
degree  of  satisfaction  that  I  point  to  the  State  of 
Maryland  as  the  cradle  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty  and  the  "land  of  the  sanctuary."  Of  the 
thirteen  original  American  Colonies,  Maryland 
was  the  only  one  settled  by  Catholics.  She  was, 
also,  the  only  one  that  raised  aloft  over  her  fair 
lands  the  banner  of  liberty  of  conscience,  and  that 
invited  the  oppressed  of  other  colonies  to  seek  an 
asylum  beneath  its  shadow. 

Lest  I  should  be  suspected  of  being  too  partial 
in  my  praise  of  Maryland  toleration,  I  shall  take 
most  of  my  historical  facts  from  Bancroft,  a  New 
England  Protestant  clergyman. 

Note — The  first  edition  of  Bancroft's  History  was  published 
in  1834.  From  that  date  till  nearly  half  a  century  afterward 
upwards  of  twenty  editions  were  issued,  all  of  which  retain 
the  passages  I  have  cited  on  Maryland  toleration.  Early  in 
the  80s  a  new  edition  was  given  out,  which  omits  or  abridges 
some  of  the  passages  quoted  in  this  chapter.  I  may  add  that 
all  of  Bancroft's  eulogies  of  Lord  Baltimore's  benevolent  ad- 
ministration are  borne  out  by  the  original  documents,  and  by 
McMahon,  Bozman  and  McSherry,  and  other  historians  of 
Maryland. 


234  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Leonard  Calvert,  the  brother  of  Lord  Balti- 
more and  the  leader  of  the  Catholic  colony,  having 
sailed  from  England  in  the  Ark  and  the  Dove, 
reached  his  destination  on  the  Potomac  in  March, 
1634. 

*^The  Catholics  took  quiet  possession  of  the 
little  place,  and  religious  liberty  obtained  a  home, 
Us  only  home  in  the  wide  world,  at  the  hum- 
ble village  which  bore  the  name  of  St.  Mary."  ^ 

"The  foimdation  of  the  colony  of  Maryland 
was  peacefully  and  happily  laid.  Within  six 
months  it  had  advanced  more  than  Virginia  had 
done  in  as  many  years.  .  .  .  But  far  more  mem- 
orable was  the  character  of  the  Maryland  institu- 
tions. Every  other  country  in  the  world  had  per- 
secuting laws ;  but  through  the  benign  administra- 
tion of  the  government  of  that  province,  no  person 
professing  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  was  permitted 
to  be  molested  on  account  of  religion.  Under  the 
munificence  and  superintending  mildness  of  Lord 
Baltimore,  a  dreary  wilderness  was  soon  quickened 
with  the  swarming  life  and  activity  of  prosperous 
settlements;  the  Roman  Catholics  who  were  op- 
pressed by  the  laws  of  England  were  sure  to  find 
a  peaceful  asylum  in  the  quiet  harbors  of  the 
Chesapeake;  and  there  too,  Protestants  ivere 
sheltered  against  Protestant  intolerance.  Such 
were  the  beautiful  auspices  under  which  Mary- 
land started  into  being.  ...  Its  history  is  the  his- 
tory of  benevolence,  gratitude  and  toleration." 

"Maryland  was  the  abode  of  happiness  and 

liberty.      Conscience  was  without  restraint.      A 

mild    and    liberal    proprietary    conceded    every 

measure  which  the  welfare  of  the  colony  required ; 

domestic  union,  a  happy  concert  between  all  the 

branches  of  government,  an  increasing  emigration, 

1  Bancroft's  "Histoiy  of  the  United  States,"  Vol.  I.,  ch.  vii. 
20th  Edition,  1864. 


'CIVIL  AKD  EELIGIOUS  LIBEETY         235 

a  productive  commerce,  a  fertile  soil,  which  heaven 
had  richly  favored  with  rivers  and  deep  bays, 
united  to  perfect  the  scene  of  colonial  felicity. 
Ever  intent  on  advancing  the  interests  of  his 
colony,  Lord  Baltimore  invited  the  Puritans  of 
Massachusetts  to  emigrate  to  Maryland,  offering 
them  lands  and  privileges  and  free  liberty  of  re- 
ligion ;  but  Gibbons,  to  whom  he  had  forwarded  the 
commission,  was  so  wholly  tutored  in  the  New 
England  discipline,  that  he  would  not  advance  the 
wishes  of  the  Irish  Peer,  and  so  the  invitation  was 
declined."  ^ 

On  the  2d  of  April,  1649,  the  General  Assembly 
of  Maryland  passed  the  following  Act,  which  will 
reflect  unfading  glory  on  that  State  as  long  as 
liberty  is  cherished  in  the  hearts  of  men. 

''Whereas,  the  enforcing  of  conscience  in  mat- 
ters of  religion  hath  frequently  fallen  out  to  be  of 
dangerous  consequence  in  those  commonwealths 
where  it  has  been  practiced,  and  for  the  more  quiet 
and  peaceable  government  of  this  province,  and  the 
better  to  preserve  mutual  love  and  unity  amongst 
the  inhabitants,  no  person  whatsoever  within  this 
province  professing  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  shall 
from  henceforth  be  anyways  troubled  or  molested 
for  his  or  her  religion,  nor  in  the  free  exercise 
thereof,  nor  anyway  compelled  to  the  belief  or  ex- 
ercise of  any  other  religion  against  his  or  her  con- 
sent. ' '  ^ 

Upon  this  noble  statute  Bancroft  makes  the  fol- 
lowing candid  and  judicious  comment:  ''The  de- 
sign of  the  law  of  Maryland  was  to  protect  free- 
dom of  conscience;  and  some  years  after  it  had 
been  confirmed  the  apologist  of  Lord  Baltimore 
could  assert  that  his  government  had  never  given 

1  Bancroft's  "H'  .ory  of  the  United  States,"  Vol.  I.,  ch.  vil. 

2  Bancroft's  "li  tory  of  the  United  States,"  Vol.  I.,  ch.  yil. 
Vide  Bacon's  Lawsj. 


236  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

disturbance  to  any  person  in  Maryland  for  mat- 
ter of  religion;  tliat  the  colonists  enjoyed  freedom 
of  conscience,  not  less  than  freedom  of  person  and 
estate,  as  amply  as  ever  any  people  in  any  place 
of  the  world.  The  disfranchised  friends  of  Pre- 
lacy from  Massachusetts  and  the  Puritans  from 
Virginia  were  welcomed  to  equal  liberty  of  con- 
science and  political  rights  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
province  of  Maryland, ' '  ^ 

Five  years  later,  when  the  Puritans  gained  the 
ascendency  in  Maryland,  they  were  guilty  of  the 
infamous  ingratitude  of  disfranchising  the  very 
Catholic  settlers  by  whom  they  had  been  so  hos- 
pitably entertained.  They  ^  ^  had  neither  the  grati- 
tude to  respect  the  rights  of  the  government  by 
which  they  had  been  received  and  fostered,  nor 
magnanimity  to  continue  the  toleration  to  which 
alone  they  were  indebted  for  their  residence  in  the 
colony.  An  act  concerning  religion  forbade  lib- 
erty of  conscience  to  be  extended  to  'Popery,' 
'Prelacy,'  or  'licentiousness  of  opinion.'  "^ 

I  shall  also  quote  from  ' '  Maryland,  the  History 
of  a  Palatinate, ' '  by  William  Hand  Browne.^  Mr. 
Browne  was  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Mary- 
land. For  several  years  he  was  editor  of  the  Mary- 
land Archives,  and  of  the  Maryland  Historical  So- 
ciety. He  became  afterward  Professor  of  English 
Literature  in  the  Johns  Hopkins  University.  He 
devoted  his  long  life  to  the  Colonial  history  of 
Maryland,  and  is  justly  recognized  as  a  standard 
authority  on  that  subject.  I  may  add  that  he  can- 
not be  suspected  of  undue  partiality,  as  he  was  not 
a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

1  Ibid. 

2  Bancroft's  "History  of  the  United  States,"  Vol.  I.,  ch.  vil 
Vide  Bacon's  Laws. 

3  Boston,  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  1884. 


CIVIL  AND  RELIGIOUS  LIBERTY         237 

Speaking  of  Calvert,  the  Proprietary  of  the 
Maryland  Colony,  the  author  remarks  that  *' while 
as  yet  there  was  no  spot  in  Christendom  where  re- 
ligions belief  was  free,  and  when  even  the  Com- 
mons of  England  had  openly  declared  against  tol- 
eration, Calvert  founded  a  community  wherein  no 
man  was  to  be  molested  for  his  faith.  At  a  time 
when  absolutism  had  struck  down  representative 
government  in  England  and  it  was  doubtful  if  a 
Parliament  of  freemen  would  ever  meet  .again,  he 
founded  a  community  in  which  no  laws  were  to  be 
made  without  the  consent  of  the  freemen. 

The  Ark  and  the  Dove  were  names  of  happy 
omen.  The  one  saved  from  the  general  wreck  the 
germs  of  political  liberty;  and  the  other  bore  the 
olive  branch  of  religious  peace."  ^ 

When  the  rule  of  the  Catholic  Proprietary  was 
overthrown  and  the  Puritans  had  gained  the  as- 
cendency in  the  Province,  ''the  new  Commissioners 
issued  writs  of  election  to  a  general  assembly — 
writs  of  a  tenor  hitherto  unknown  in  Maryland. 
No  man  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  could  be 
elected  as  a  burgess,  or  even  cast  a  vote.  The  As- 
sembly obtained  by  this  process  of  selection,  justi- 
fied its  choice.  It  at  once  repealed  the  Toleration 
Act  of  1649  and  created  a  new  one,  more  to  its 
mind,  which  also  bore  the  title:  "An  Act  concern- 
ing Religion,"  but  it  was  toleration  with  a  differ- 
ence. It  provided  that  none  who  professed  the  Pop- 
ish religion  should  be  protected  in  the  Province^ 
but  were  to  be  restrained  from  the  exercise  thereof. 

For  Protestants  it  provided  that  no  one  profess  ^ 
ing  faith  in  Christ  was  to  be  restrained  from  the 
exercise  of  his  religion,  ''provided  that  this  liberty 
be  not  extended  to  Popery,  or  Prelacy,  nor  to  such 
as  under  the  profession  of  Christ,  hold  forth  and 

I  Ibid.,  Chapter  lil. 


238  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

practice  licentiousness.  That  is,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Roman  Catholics  and  churchmen,  together 
with  the  Brownists,  Quakers,  Anabaptists,  and 
other  miscellaneous  Protestant  sects,  all  others 
might  profess  their  faith  without  molestation. ' '  ^ 

After  the  overthrow  of  the  Puritan  authority, 
and  the  advent  to  power  of  the  members  of  the 
Church  of  England,  the  second  act  of  the  Assembly 
was  to  make  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  the 
established  church  of  the  Province. 

The  Act  imposed  an  annual  tax  of  forty  pounds 
of  tobacco  per  poll  on  all  taxables  for  the  purpose 
of  building  churches,  and  maintaining  the  clergy. 
In  1702  it  was  re-enacted  with  a  toleration  clause: 
*^  Protestant  Dissenters  and  Quakers  were  exempt- 
ed from  the  penalties  and  disabilities,  and  might 
have  separate  meeting-houses,  provided  that  they 
paid  their  forty  pounds  per  poll  to  support  the  Es- 
tablished Church.  As  for  the  'Papists,'  it  is  need- 
less to  say  that  there  was  no  exemption  nor  license 
for  them. ' '  ^ 

The  author  then  sets  before  us  the  three  kinds  of 
toleration,  like  three  portraits,  so  that  their  dis- 
tinctive features  appear  in  bold  relief. 

**We  may  now,"  he  says,  ''place  side  by  side  the 
three  tolerations  of  Maryland." 

The  toleration  of  the  (Catholic)  Proprietaries 
lasted  fifty  years,  and  under  it  all  believers  in 
Christ  were  equal  before  the  law,  and  all  support 
to  churches  or  ministers  was  voluntary. 

The  Puritan  toleration  lasted  six  years,  and  in- 
eluded  all  but  Papists,  Prelatists  and  those  who 
held  objectional  doctrines. 

The  Anglican  toleration  lasted  eighty  years,  and 
had  glebes  and  churches  for  the  Establishment, 
connivance  for  Dissenters,  the  penal  laws  for  Cath- 
olics, and  for  all,  the  forty  per  poll. 

1  Ibid.,  Chap,  v,  8  Ibid.,  Chap.  si. 


CIVIL  AND  EELIGIOUS  LIBERTY         239 

In  fact,  an  additional  turn  was  given  to  the 
screw  in  this  year;  the  oath  of  *'abhorrency,"  a 
more  offensive  form  of  the  oath  of  supremacy,  be- 
ing required,  beside  the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  for 
one  thing,  no  Catholic  attorney  was  allowed  to 
practise  in  the  Province. "  ^ 

When  the  members  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention declared  in  1787,  that  ''Congress  shall 
make  no  law  respecting  an  establishment  of  relig- 
ion, or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof,"  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  they  were  echoing  the  senti- 
ments, and  even  repeating  the  language  of  the 
Maryland  Assembly  of  1649,  which  declared  that 
* '  No  person  whatsoever  within  this  Province,  pro- 
fessing to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  shall  from  hence- 
forth be  any  ways  molested  for  his  or  her  religion, 
nor  in  the  free  exercise  thereof." 

We  may  therefore  affirm  that  Lord  Baltimore's 
Toleration  Act  of  1649  was  the  bright  dawn  that 
ushered  in  the  noon-day  sun  of  freedom  in  1787. 
And  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  Pro- 
prietary's charter  of  liberty  with  its  attendant 
blessings,  served  as  an  example,  an  incentive,  and 
an  inspiration  to  some  at  least  of  the  framers  of 
the  Constitution,  to  extend  over  the  new  Eepublic, 
the  precious  boon  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

It  is  proper  to  also  observe  that  the  Act  of  1649 
was  not  a  new  declaration  of  religious  freedom  on 
the  part  of  Lord  Baltimore's  administration,  but 
was  a  solemn  affirmation  of  the  toleration  granted 
by  the  Catholic  Proprietary  from  the  beginning  of 
the  Settlement  in  1634. 

I  will  close  this  subject  in  the  words  of  a  distin- 
guished member  of  the  Maryland  Historical  Socie- 
ty: ''Higher  than  all  titles  and  badges  of  honor,  and 
more  exalted  than  royal  nobility  is  the  imperish- 

ilbia.  Cbap,  xi. 


240  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

alble  distinction  whicli  the  passage  of  this  broad 
and  liberal  Act  won  for  Maryland,  and  for  the 
members  of  that  never-to-be-forgotten  session,  and 
sacred  forever  be  the  hallowed  spot  which  gave  it 
birth."' 

What  shall  I  say  of  the  prominent  part  that  was 
taken  by  distinguished  representatives  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church  in  the  cause  of  our  American  Inde- 
pendence? What  shall  I  say  of  Charles  Carroll  of 
CarroHton,  who,  at  the  risk  of  sacrificing  his  rich 
estates,  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence; 
of  Kev.  John  Carroll,  afterward  the  first  Arch- 
bishop of  Baltimore,  who,  with  his  cousin  Charles 
Carroll  and  Benjamin  Franklin,  was  sent  by  Con- 
gress to  Canada  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  the 
people  of  that  province  in  the  struggle  for  liberty; 
of  Kosciusko,  Lafayette,  Pulaski,  Barry  and  a  host 
of  other  Catholic  heroes  who  labored  so  effectually 
in  the  same  glorious  cause?  American  patriots 
without  number  the  Church  has  nursed  in  her 
bosom;  a  traitor,  never. 

The  Father  of  his  Country  was  no?  unmindful  of 
these  services.  Shortly  after  his  election  to  the 
Presidency,  replying  ^  to  an  address  of  his  Catholic 
fellow-citizens,  he  uses  the  following  language:  "I 
presume  that  your  fellow-citizens  will  not  forget 
the  patriotic  part  which  you  took  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  their  revolution,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  their  government ;  or  the  important  assist- 
ance they  received  from  a  nation  in  which  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  faith  is  professed." 

And  the  Catholics  of  our  generation  Have  nobly 
emulated  the  patriotism  and  the  spirit  of  tolera- 
tion  exhibited   by   their   ancestors.      They   can 

1  James  Walter  Thomas. 

2  The  original  of  Washington's  reply  is  still  preserved  iu  the 
Archives  of  the  Baltimore  Cathedral. 


CIVIL  AND  RELIGIOUS  LIBERTY         241 

neither  be  accused  of  disloyalty  nor  of  intolerance 
to  their  dissenting  brethren.  In  more  than  one 
instance  of  our  nation's  history  our  churches 
have  been  desecrated  and  burned  to  the  ground; 
our  convents  have  been  invaded  and  destroyed; 
our  clergy  have  been  exposed  to  insult  and 
violence.  These  injuries  have  been  inflicted  on 
us  by  incendiary  mobs  animated  by  hatred  of 
Catholicism.  Yet,  in  spite  of  these  provocations, 
our  Catholic  citizens,  though  wielding  an  immense 
numerical  influence  in  the  localities  where  they 
suffered,  have  never  retaliated.  It  is  in  a  spirit 
of  just  pride  that  we  can  affirm  that  hitherto  in 
the  United  States  no  Protestant  house  of  worship 
or  educational  institution  has  been  destroyed,  nor 
violence  offered  to  a  Protestant  minister  by  those 
who  profess  the  Catholic  faith.  God  grant  that 
such  may  always  be  our  record ! 

It  is  just  because  the  Church  has  ever  resisted 
the  tyranny  of  kings,  in  their  encroachments  on 
the  sacred  rights  of  conscience,  that  she  has  al- 
ways been  the  victim  of  royal  persecution.  In 
every  age,  in  the  language  oi  the  Psalmist,  "the 
kings  of  the  earth  rose  up,  and  the  princes  as- 
sembled together  against  the  Lord  and  against 
His  Christ.""^  The" brightest  and  most  thrilling 
pages  of  ecclesiastical  history  are  those  which 
record  the  sufferings  of  Popes  and  Prelates  at 
the  hands  of  temporal  sovereigns  for  conscience* 
and  for  justice'  sake. 

Take,  for  in>stance,  St.  John  Chrysostom,  the 
great  Archbishop  of  Constantinople  in  the  fifth 
century,  and  the  idol  of  the  people.  He  had  the 
courage,  like  John  the  Baptist,  to  raise  his  elo- 
quent voice  against  the  lasciviousness  of  the 
court,  and  particularly  against  the  Empress  Eu- 

iPs.  ii. 


243  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

doxia,  who  ruled  like  another  Jezabel.  He  was 
banished  from  his  See,  treated  with  the  utmost 
indignity  by  the  soldiers,  and  died  in  exile  from 
sheer  exhaustion  and  ill-treatment. 

Witness  Pope  Gregory  VII.,  the  fearless  Hilde- 
brand,  in  his  life-long  struggle  with  the  German 
Emperor,  Henry  IV.  Gregory  directed  all  the 
energies  of  his  great  mind  towards  reforming  the 
abuses  which  had  crept  into  the  church  of  France 
and  Germany  in  the  eleventh  century.  In  those 
days  the  Emperor  of  Germany  assumed  the  right 
of  naming  or  appointing  Bishops  throughout  his 
Empire.  This  sacred  office  was  commonly  be- 
stowed on  very  unworthy  candidates,  and  very 
often  put  up  at  auction,  to  be  sold  to  the  highest 
bidder,  as  is  now  the  case  with  the  schismatic 
Greek  church  in  Turkey. 

These  Bishops  too  often  repaid  their  imperial 
benefactor  by  pandering  to  his  passions  and  by 
the  most  servile  flattery.  The  intrepid  Pope  par- 
tially succeeded  in  uprooting  the  evil,  though  the 
effort  cost  him  his  life.  The  Emperor  invaded 
Eome  and  drove  Gregory  from  his  See,  who  died 
uttering  these  words  with  his  last  breath : ' '  I  have 
loved  justice  and  hated  iniquity,  and  therefore 
I  die  in  exile." 

For  the  same  cause  Thomas  a  Becket,  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  was  slain  at  the  altar  by 
the  hired  assassins  of  Henry  II.,  of  England. 

Observe  how  Pius  VII.  was  treated  by  the  first 
Napoleon  in  the  beginnuig  of  the  present  century. 
The  day-dream  of  Napoleon  was  to  be  master  of 
Europe,  and  to  place  his  brothers  and  friends 
on  the  thrones  of  the  continent,  that  they  might 
revolve,  like  so  many  satellites,  around  his  throne 
in  France.  Napoleon  makes  two  demands  on  the 
venerable  Pontiff:     First — That  he  dissolve  the 


CIVIL  AND  KELIGIOUS  LIBfiKTY         »4g 

marriage  which  had  been  contracted  between  the 
Emperor's  brother,  Jerome,  and  Miss  Patterson, 
of  Baltimore.  His  ostensible  reason  for  having 
the  marriage  dissolved  was  because  Miss  Pat- 
terson was  a  Protestant,  but  his  real  motive  was 
to  secure  a  royal  bride  for  his  brother  instead 
of  an  American  ladj.  Second — That  he  close  his 
ports  against  the  commerce  of  England,  with 
which  nation  Napoleon  was  then  at  war,  and  make 
common  cause  with  the  Emperor  against  his 
enemies.  The  Pope  rejected  both  demands.  He 
told  the  Emperor  that  the  Church  held  all  mar- 
riages performed  by  her  as  indissoluble,  even 
when  one  of  the  parties  was  not  a  Catholic;  and 
that,  as  the  common  father  of  Christendom,  he 
could  close  his  port  against  no  Christian  power. 
For  refusing  to  comply  with  this  second  demand 
the  Pope  was  arrested  and  sent  into  exile,  where 
he  lingered  for  years. 

At  this  very  moment  the  old  conflict  between 
the  Church  and  despotic  governments  is  raging 
fiercely  throughout  Europe.  The  scene  enacted  by 
John  and  Herod  is  today  reproduced  in  almost 
every  kingdom  of  the  old  world.  It  is  the  old 
fight  between  brute  force  and  the  God-given  rights 
of  conscience. 

In  Russia  we  see  the  Bishop  of  Plock  exiled  for 
life  from  his  See  to  Siberia.  His  only  offence  is 
his  refusal  to  acknowledge  that  the  Emperor  Alex- 
ander is  the  head  of  the  Christian  Church. 

If  we  pass  over  into  Italy  we  see  religious  men 
and  women  driven  from  their  homes ;  their  houses 
and  libraries  confiscated — libraries  which  pious 
and  learned  men  had  been  collecting  and  consult- 
ing for  ages.  The  only  crime  of  those  religious 
is  that  they  have  not  the  power  to  resist  brute 
force. 


344  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

Cross  tlie  Alps  into  France  and  there  yon  will  see 
that  many-headed  monster,  the  Commune,  assassi- 
nating the  Archbishop  of  Paris  and  his  clergy, 
solely  because  he  and  they  were  the  representatives 
of  law  and  order. 

In  the  Republic  of  Switzerland  Bishop  Mermil- 
lod  is  expelled  from  Geneva  without  the  slightest 
iCharge  adduced  against  his  character  as  a  citizen 
and  a  Christian  Prelate.  Faithful  clergymen  are 
deprived  by  the  government  of  their  parochial 
rights  and  renegade  Priests  are  intruded  in  their 
place.  The  shepherd  is  driven  away  and  wolves 
lay  waste  the  fold. 

Go  to  Prussia;  what  do  you  behold  there!  A 
Prime  Minister  flushed  with  his  recent  victories 
over  France.  He  is  not  content  with  seeing  his 
master  wear  the  imperial  crown  of  Germany;  he 
wants  him  to  wear  also  the  tiara  of  the  Pope. 
Bismarck,  like  Aman,  the  minister  of  King  As- 
suerus,  is  not  satisfied  with  being  second  in  the 
kingdom  so  long  as  Mardochai,  that  is  the  Church, 
refuses  to  bow  down  and  worship  him. 

He  fines  the  venerable  Archbishop  of  Gnesen- 
Posen  and  other  Prussian  Prelates  again  and 
again,  sells  their  furniture  and  finally  sends  them 
to  prison  for  a  protracted  period.  St.  John  Chry- 
sostom  beautifully  remarks  that  St.  Paul,  elevated 
to  the  third  heaven,  was  glorious  to  contemplate ; 
but  that  far  more  glorious  is  Paul  buried  in  the 
dungeons  of  Rome.  I  can  say  in  like  manner,  of 
Archbishop  Ledochowski  of  Posen,  that  he  was 
conspicuous  in  the  Vatican  Council  among  his 
peers;  but  he  was  still  more  conspicuous  sitting 
solitary  in  his  Prussian  prison. 

The  loyalty  of  the  Prussian  clergy  is  above  re- 
proach. The  Bishops  are  imprisoned  because  they 
insist  on  the  ric'ht  of  educating  students  for  the 


CIVIL  AND  EELIGIOUS  LIBEETY         245 

ministry,  ordaining  and  appointing  clergy,  with- 
out consulting  the  government.  They  are  denied 
a  right  which  in  this  comitry  is  possessed  by  Free 
Masons  and  every  other  human  organization  in 
the  land. 

Perhaps  a  simple  illustration  will  present  to 
you  in  a  clearer  light  the  odious  character  of  the 
penal  laws  to  which  I  have  alluded.  Suppose  the 
government  of  the  United  States  were  to  issue  a 
general  order  requiring  the  clergy  of  the  various 
Christian  denominations  to  be  educated  in  gov- 
ernment establishments,  forcing  them  to  take  an 
oath  before  entering  on  the  duties  of  the  ministry, 
and  forbidding  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  to  ap- 
point or  remove  any  clergyman  without  permis- 
sion of  the  civil  power  at  Washington.  Would  not 
the  American  people  rise  up  in  their  might  be- 
fore they  would  submit  to  have  fetters  so  galling 
forged  on  their  conscience!  And  yet  this  is  pre- 
cisely the  odious  legislation  which  the  Prussian 
government  is  enacting  against  the  Church.  And 
the  Catholic  Church,  in  resisting  these  laws,  is 
not  only  fighting  her  own  battles,  but  she  is  con- 
tending for  the  principle  of  freedom  of  conscience 
everywhere. 

But,  thank  God,  we  live  in  a  country  where  lib- 
erty of  conscience  is  respected,  and  where  the  civil 
constitution  holds  over  us  the  aegis  of  her  pro- 
tection, without  intermeddling  with  ecclesiastical 
affairs.  From  my  heart,  I  say :  America,  with  all 
thy  faults,  I  love  thee  still.  Perhaps  at  this  mo- 
ment there  is  no  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth 
where  the  Church  is  less  trammelled,  and  where 
she  has  more  liberty  to  carry  out  her  sublime 
destiny  than  in  these  United  States. 

For  my  part,  I  much  prefer  the  system  which 
prevails  in  this  country,  where  the  temporal  needs 


246  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

of  the  Church  are  supplied  by  voluntary  contri- 
butions of  the  faithful,  to  the  system  which  ob- 
tains in  some  Catholic  countries  of  Europe,  where 
the  Church  is  supported  by  the  government,  there- 
by making  feeble  reparation  for  the  gross  injus- 
tice it  has  done  to  the  Church  by  its  former  whole- 
sale confiscation  of  ecclesiastical  property.  And 
the  Church  pays  dearly  for  this  indemnity,  for 
she  has  to  bear  the  perpetual  attempts  at  inter- 
ference and  the  vexatious  enactments  of  the  civil 
power,  which  aims  at  making  her  wholly  depend- 
ent upon  itself. 

Some  years  ago,  on  my  return  from  Rome,  in 
company  with  the  late  Archbishop  Spalding  I 
paid  a  visit  to  the  Bishop  of  Annecy,  in  Savoy. 
I  was  struck  by  the  splendor  of  his  palace  and 
saw  a  sentinel  at  the  door,  placed  there  by  the 
French  government  as  a  guard  of  honor.  But 
the  venerable  Bishop  soon  disabused  me  of  my 
favorable  impressions.  He  told  me  that  he  was 
in  a  state  of  gilded  slavery.  I  cannot,  said  he, 
build  as  much  as  a  sacristy  without  obtaining 
permission  of  the  government. 

I  do  not  wish  to  see  the  day  when  the  Church 
will  invoke  or  receive  any  government  aid  to  build 
our  churches,  or  to  pay  the  salary  of  our  clergy, 
for  the  government  may  then  begin  to  dictate  to 
us  what  doctrines  we  ought  to  preach.  If  it  is  a 
great  wrong  to  muzzle  the  press,  it  is  a  greater 
wrong  to  muzzle  the  pulpit.  No  amount  of  State 
subsidy  would  compensate  for  the  evils  resulting 
from  the  Government  censorship  of  the  Gospel,  and 
the  suppression  of  Apostolic  freedom  in  proclaim- 
ing it.  St.  Paul  exults  in  the  declaration  that, 
1;hough  he  is  personally  in  chains,  the  word  of  God 
is  not  enchained.^ 

1 II.  Tim.  il.  9. 


CIVIL  AND  EELIGIOUS  LIBERTY         247 

And  moreover,  in  proportion  as  State  patronage 
would  increase,  the  sympathy  and  aid  of  the  faith- 
ful would  diminish. 

May  the  happy  condition  of  things  now  exist- 
ing among  ns  always  continue,  in  which  the  re- 
lations between  the  clergy  and  the  people  will  be 
direct  and  immediate,  in  which  Bishops  and 
Priests  will  bestow  upon  their  spiritual  children 
their  voluntary  labors,  their  tender  solicitude, 
their  paternal  affection,  and  pour  out  like  water 
their  hearts'  blood,  if  necessary;  and  in  which 
they  will  receive  in  return  the  free-will  offerings 
■ — the  devotion  and  gratitude  of  a  filial  people. 


/ 

CHAPTER  XVII!. 

CHARGES  OF  RELIGIOUS  PERSECUTION. 

THE     SPAlsriSH     INQUISITION THE     MASSACRE     OF     ST. 

BAKTHOLOMEW QUEEN    MARY    OF   ENGLAND. 

I. 

THE  SPANISH  INQUISITION. 

UT  did  not  the  Spanish  Inquisition  exercise 
enormous  cruelties  against  heretics  and 
Jews?  I  am  not  the  apologist  of  the  Span- 
ish Inquisition,  and  I  have  no  desire  to  palliate 
or  excuse  the  excesses  into  which  that  tribunal 
may  at  times  have  fallen.  From  my  heart  I  ab- 
hor and  denounce  every  species  of  violence,  and 
injustice,  and  persecution  of  which  the  Spanish 
Inquisition  may  have  been  guilty.  And  in  raising 
my  voice  against  coercion  for  conscience'  sake  I 
am  expressing  not  only  my  own  sentiments,  but 
those  of  every  Catholic  Priest  and  layman  in 
the  land. 

Our  Catholic  ancestors,  for  the  last  three  hun- 
dred years,  have  suffered  so  much  for  freedom 
of  conscience  that  they  would  rise  up  in  judgment 
against  us  were  we  to  become  the  advocates  and 
defenders  of  religious  persecution.  We  would  be 
a  disgrace  to  our  sires  were  we  to  trample  on 
the  principle  of  liberty  which  they  held  dearer 
than  life. 

When  I  denounce  the  cruelties  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion I  am  not  standing  aloof  from  the  Church, 

248 


RELIGIOUS  PERSECUTION^  249 

but  I  am  treading  in  her  footprints.  Bloodshed 
and  persecution  form  no  part  of  the  creed  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  So  much  does  she  abhor  the 
shedding  of  blood  that  a  man  becomes  disquali- 
fied to  serve  as  a  minister  at  her  altars  who,  by 
act  or  counsel,  volimtarily  sheds  the  blood  of  an- 
other. Before  you  can  convict  the  Church  of  in- 
tolerance you  must  first  bring  forward  some  au- 
thentic act  of  her  Popes  or  Councils  sanctioning 
the  policy  of  vengeance.  In  all  my  readings  I 
have  yet  to  find  one  decree  of  hers  advocating 
torture  or  death  for  conscience'  sake.  She  is  in- 
deed intolerant  of  error;  but  her  only  weapons 
against  error  are  those  pointed  out  by  St.  Paul 
to  Timothy:  "Preach  the  word;  be  instant  in 
season,  out  of  season;  reprove,  entreat;  rebuke 
with  all  patience  and  doctrine. ' '  ^ 

But  you  will  tell  me :  Were  not  the  authors  of 
the  Inquisition  children  of  the  Church,  and  did 
they  not  exercise  their  enormities  in  her  name? 
Granted.  But  I  ask  you:  Is  it  just  or  fair  to 
hold  the  Church  responsible  for  those  acts  of  her 
children  which  she  disowns  ?  You  do  not  denounce 
liberty  as  mockery  because  many  crimes  are  com- 
mitted in  her  name ;  neither  do  you  hold  a  father 
accountable  for  the  sins  of  his  disobedient  chil- 
dren. 

We  should  also  bear  in  mind  that  the  Spaniards 
were  not  the  only  people  who  have  proscribed 
men  for  the  exercise  of  their  religious  bolief.  If 
we  calmly  study  the  history  of  other  nations  our 
enmity  towards  Spain  will  considerably  relax, 
and  we  shall  have  to  reserve  for  her  neighbors  a 
portion  of  our  indignation.  No  impartial  student 
of  history  will  deny  that  the  leaders  of  the  re- 
formed religions,  whenever  they  gained  the  as- 

^11.  Tim.  iv.  2. 


260  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHER* 

cendency,  exercised  violence  toward  those  who 
differed  from  them  in  faith.  I  mention  this  not 
by  way  of  recrimination,  nor  in  palliation  of  the 
proscriptions  of  the  Spanish  government ;  for  one 
offence  is  not  justified  by  another.  My  object  is 
merely  to  show  that  "they  who  live  in  glass  houses' 
should  not  throw  stones ; ' '  and  that  it  is  not  hon- 
est to  make  Spain  the  scapegoat,  bearing  alone 
on  her  shoulders  the  odium  of  religious  intoler- 
ance. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  John  Calvin 
burned  Michael  Servetus  at  the  stake  for  heresy; 
that  the  arch-reformer  not  only  avowed  but  also 
justified  the  deed  in  his  writings;  and  that  he 
established  in  Geneva  an  Inquisition  for  the  pun- 
ishment of  refractory  Christians. 

It  should  also  be  remembered  that  Luther  ad- 
vocated the  most  merciless  doctrine  towards  the 
Jews.  According  to  his  apologist  Seckendorf,  the 
German  Eeformer  said  that  their  synagogues 
ought  to  be  destroyed,  their  houses  pulled  down, 
their  prayer-books,  and  even  the  books  of  the  Old 
Testament,  to  be  taken  from  them.  Their  rabbis 
ought  to  be  forbidden  to  teach  and  be  compelled 
to  gain  their  livelihood  by  hard  labor. 

It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  Henry 
VIII.  and  his  successors  for  many  generations  in- 
flicted fines,  imprisonment  and  death  on  thousands 
of  their  subjects  for  denying  the  spiritual  suprem- 
acy of  the  temporal  sovereign.  This  galling  In- 
quisition lasted  for  nearly  three  hundred  years, 
and  the  severity  of  its  decrees  scarcely  finds  a 
parallel  in  the  Spanish  Inquisition.  Prescott 
avows  that  the  administration  of  Elizabeth  was 
"not  a  whit  less  despotic  and  scarcely  less  san- 
guinary than"^  that  of  Isabella.    The  clergy  of 

* "  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,"  Vol.  III.,  p.  202. 


RELIGIOUS  PEESECUTION  25l 

Ireland,  under  Cromwell,  were  ordered,  under 
pain  of  death,  to  quit  their  country,  and  theologi- 
cal students  were  obliged  to  pursue  their  studies 
in  foreign  seminaries.  Any  Priest  who  dared  to 
return  to  his  native  country  forfeited  his  life. 
"Whoever  harbored  a  Priest  suifered  death,  and 
they  who  knew  his  hiding-place  and  did  not  re- 
veal it  to  the  Inquisitors  had  both  their  ears  cut 
off. 

At  this  very  moment  not  only  in  England,  but 
in  Ireland,  Scotland  and  Holland,  Protestants  are 
worshiping  in  some  of  the  churches  erected  by 
the  piety  of  our  Catholic  forefathers  and  wrested 
from  them  by  violence. 

Observe,  also,  that  in  all  these  instances  the 
persecutions  were  inflicted  by  the  express  author- 
ity of  the  founders  and  heads  of  Protestant 
churches. 

The  Puritans  of  New  England  inflicted  sum- 
mary vengeance  on  those  who  were  rash  enough, 
to  differ  from  them  in  religion.  In  Massachu- 
setts *'the  Quakers  were  whipped,  branded,  had 
their  ears  cut  off,  their  tongues  bored  with  hot 
irons,  and  were  banished  upon  pain  of  death  in 
case  of  their  return  and  actually  executed  upon 
the  gallows."  * 

Who  is  ignorant  of  the  number  of  innocent  crea- 
tures that  suffered  death  in  the  same  State  on 
the  ridiculous  charge  of  witchcraft  toward  the 
end  of  the  seventeenth  century?  Well  does  it  be- 
come their  descendants  to  taunt  Catholics  with 
the  horrors  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition! 

In  the  religious  riots  of  Philadelphia  in  1844 
Catholic  churches  were  burned  down  in  the  name 
of  Protestantism  and  private  houses  were  sacked. 
I  was  informed  by  an  eye-witness  that  owners  ol 

I  Blue  LawB. 


g52  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

(houses  were  obliged  to  mark  on  their  doors  these 
iwords,  This  house  belongs  to  Protestants,  in  order 
to  save  their  property  from  the  infuriated  incen- 
diaries. For  these  acts  I  never  heard  of  any  re- 
taliation on  the  part  of  Catholics,  and  I  hope  I 
never  shall,  no  matter  how  formidable  may  be 
their  numbers  and  tempting  the  provocation. 

In  spite  of  the  boasted  toleration  of  our  times, 
it  cannot  be  denied  that  there  still  lurks  a  spirit 
of  inquisition,  which  does  not,  indeed,  vent  itself 
in  physical  violence,  but  is,  nevertheless,  most 
galling  to  its  victims.  How  many  persons  have 
I  met  in  the  course  of  my  ministry  who  were  os- 
tracized by  their  kindred  and  friends,  driven  from 
home,  nay,  disinherited  by  their  parents,  for  the 
sole  crime  of  carrying  out  the  very  shibboleth  of 
Protestantism — the  exercise  of  private  judgment, 
and  of  obeying  the  dictates  of  their  conscience,  by 
embracing  the  Catholic  faith !  Is  not  this  the  most 
exquisite  torture  that  can  be  inflicted  on  refined 
natures  1 

Ah !  there  is  an  imprisonment  more  lonely  than 
the  dungeon;  it  is  the  imprisonment  of  our  most 
cherished  thoughts  in  our  own  hearts,  without  a 
member  of  the  family  with  whom  to  communicatee 

There  is  a  sword  more  keen  than  the  execution- 
er's knife;  it  is  the  envenomed  tongue  of  obloquy 
and  abuse.  There  is  a  banishment  less  tolerable 
than  exile  from  one's  country;  it  is  the  excom- 
munication from  the  parental  roof  and  from  the 
affections  of  those  we  love. 

Have  I  a  right  to  hold  the  members  of  the 
Episcopal,  Lutheran,  Presbyterian  and  Congrega- 
tionalist  churches  responsible  for  these  proscrip- 
tive  measures  to  which  I  have  referred,  most  of 
which  have  been  authorized  by  their  respective 


RELIGIOUS  PEESECUTION  253 

founders  and  leaders?  God  forbid!  I  know  full 
well  that  these  acts  of  cruelty  form  no  part  of 
the  creed  of  the  Protestant  churches.  I  have  been 
acquainted  with  Protestants  from  my  youth.  They 
have  been  among  my  most  intimate  and  cherished 
"friends,  and,  from  my  knowledge  of  them,  I  am 
convinced  that  they  would  discountenance  any 
physical  violence  which  would  be  inflicted  on  their 
fellow-citizens  on  account  of  their  religious  con- 
victions. They  would  justly  tell  me  that  the  per- 
secutions of  former  years  of  which  I  have  spoken 
should  be  ascribed  to  the  peculiar  and  unhappy 
state  of  society  in  which  their  ancestors  lived, 
rather  than  to  the  inherent  principles  of  their  re- 
ligion. 

For  precisely  the  same  reasons,  and  for  reasons 
still  more  forcible,  Protestants  should  not  re- 
proach the  Catholic  Church  for  the  atrocities  of 
the  Spanish  Inquisition.  The  persecutions  to 
which  I  have  alluded  were  for  the  most  part  per- 
petrated by  the  founders  and  heads  of  the  Prot- 
estant churches,  while  the  rigors  of  the  Spanish 
tribunal  were  inflicted  by  laymen  and  subordinate 
ecclesiastics,  either  without  the  knowledge  or  in 
spite  of  the  protests  of  the  Bishops  of  Rome. 

Let  us  now  present  the  Inquisition  in  its  true 
light.  In  the  first  place,  the  number  of  its  vic- 
tims has  been  wildly  exaggerated,  as  even  Pres- 
cott  is  forced  to  admit.  The  popular  historian 
of  the  Inquisition  is  Llorente,  from  whom  our 
American  authors  generally  derive  their  informa- 
tion on  this  subject.  Now  who  was  Llorente?  He 
was  a  degraded  Priest,  who  was  dismissed  from 
the  Board  of  Inquisitors,  of  which  he  had  been 
Secretary.  Actuated  by  interest  and  revenge,  he 
wrote  his  history  at  the  instance  of  Joseph  Bona- 
parte, the  new  King  of  Spain,  and,  to  please  hi» 


254  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

royal  master  he  did  all  he  could  to  blacken  the 
character  of  that  institution.  His  testimony, 
therefore,  should  be  received  with  great  reserve. 
To  give  you  one  instance  of  his  unreliability,  he 
quotes  the  historian  Mariana  as  his  authority  for 
saying  that  two  thousand  persons  were  put  to 
death  in  one  year  in  the  dioceses  of  Seville  and 
Cadiz  alone.  By  referring  to  the  pages  of  Mari- 
ana we  find  that  author  saying  that  two  thousand 
were  put  to  death  in  all  Spain  during  the  entire 
administration  of  Torquemada,  which  embraced  a 
period  of  fifteen  years. 

Before  beginning  to  examine  the  character  of  • 
this  tribunal  it  must  be  clearly  understood  that 
the  Spanish  Inquisition  was  not  a  purely  ecclesias- 
tical institution,  but  a  mixed  tribunal.  It  was 
conceived,  systematized,  regulated  in  all  its  pro- 
cedures and  judgments,  equipped  with  officers  and 
powers,  and  its  executions,  fines  and  confiscations 
were  carried  out  by  the  royal  authority  alone, 
and  not  by  the  Church.^ 

To  understand  the  true  character  of  the  Span- 
ish Inquisition,  and  the  motives  which  prompted 
King  Ferdinand  in  establishing  that  tribunal,  we 
must  take  a  glance  at  the  internal  condition  of 
Spain  at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century.  After 
a  struggle  of  eight  centuries  the  Spanish  nation 
succeeded  in  overthrowing  the  Moors,  and  in 
planting  the  national  flag  over  the  entire  coun- 
try. At  last  the  Cross  conquered  the  Crescent, 
and  Christianity  triumphed  over  Mahometanism. 
The  empire  was  consolidated  under  the  joint  reign 
of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 

But  there  still  remained  elements  of  discord  in 

iFor  an  impartial  account  of  the  Inquisition,  the  reader  la 
referred  to  the  "Letters  on  the  Spanish  Inquisition,"  by  the 
Count  de  Maistre. 


EELIGIOUS  PERSECUTION  255 

the  nation.  The  population  was  composed  of  three 
conflicting  races — the  Spaniards,  Moors  and  Jews. 
Perhaps  the  difficulties  which  beset  our  own  Gov^ 
ernment  in  its  efforts  to  harmonize  the  white,  the 
Indian  and  the  colored  population,  will  give  us 
some  idea  of  the  formidable  obstacles  with  which 
the  Spanish  court  had  to  contend  in  its  efforts  to 
cement  into  one  compact  nation  a  conquering  and 
a  conquered  people  of  different  race  and  religion. 

The  Jews  and  the  Moors  were  disaffected  to- 
ward the  Spanish  government  not  only  on  politi- 
cal, but  also  on  religious  grounds.  They  were  sus- 
pected, and  not  unjustly,  of  desiring  to  transfer 
their  allegiance  from  the  King  of  Spain  to  the 
King  of  Barbary  or  to  the  Grand  Turk. 

The  Spanish  Inquisition  was  accordingly 
erected  by  King  Ferdinand,  less  from  motives 
of  religious  zeal  than  from  those  of  human 
policy.  It  was  established,  not  so  much  with  the 
view  of  preserving  the  Catholic  faith,  as  of  per- 
petuating the  integrity  of  his  kingdom.  The 
Moors  and  Jews  were  looked  upon  not  only  as 
enemies  of  the  altar,  but  chiefly  as  enemies  of 
the  throne.  Catholics  were  upheld  not  for  their 
faith  alone,  but  because  they  united  faith  to  loy- 
alty. The  baptized  Moors  and  Israelites  were  op- 
pressed for  their  heresy  because  their  heresy  was 
allied  to  sedition. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  in  those  days  her- 
esy, especially  if  outspoken,  was  regarded  not  only 
as  an  offence  against  religion,  but  also  as  a  crime 
against  the  state,  and  was  punished  accordingly. 
This  condition  of  things  was  not  confined  to  Cath- 
olic Spain,  but  prevailed  across  the  sea  in  Prot- 
estant England.  We  find  Henry  VIII.  and  his 
successors  pursuing  the  same  policy  in  Great 
Britain  toward  their  Catholic  subjects  and  pun- 


256  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

islaing  Catholicism  as  a  crime  agaiast  the  state, 
just  as  Islamism  and  Judaism  were  proscribed 
im  Spain. 

It  was,  therefore,  rather  a  royal  and  political 
than  an  ecclesiastical  institution.  The  King  a©m- 
imated  the  Inquisitors,  who  were  equally  com- 
posed of  lay  and  clerical  officials.  He  dismissed 
them  at  will.  From  the  King,  and  not  from  the 
P©pe,  they  derived  their  jurisdiction,  and  into  the 
King's  coffers,  and  not  into  the  Pope's,  went  all 
the  emoluments  accruing  from  fines  and  confisca- 
tions. In  a  word,  the  authority  of  the  Inquisition 
began  and  ended  with  the  crown. 

In  confirmation  of  these  assertions  I  shall  quote 
from  Ranke,  a  German  Protestant  historian,  who 
cannot  be  suspected  of  partiality  to  the  Catholic 
Church.  "In  the  first  place,"  says  this  author, 
*'the  Inquisitors  were  royal  officers.  The  Kings 
had  the  right  of  appointing  and  dismissing  them. 
.  .  .  The  courts  of  the  Inquisition  were  subject, 
like  other  magistracies,  to  royal  visitors.  *Do  you 
not  know,'  said  the  King  (to  Ximenes),  'that  if 
this  tribunal  possesses  jurisdiction,  it  is  from  the 
King  it  derives  itf 

"In  the  second  place,  all  the  profit  of  the  con- 
fiscations by  this  court  accrued  to  the  King.  These 
were  carried  out  in  a  very  unsparing  manner. 
Though  the  fueros  (privileges)  of  Aragon  forbade 
the  King  to  confiscate  the  property  of  his  coux 
victed  subjects,  he  deemed  himself  exalted  above 
the  law  in  matters  pertaining  to  this  court.  .  .  . 
The  proceeds  of  these  confiscations  formed  a  sort 
of  regular  income  for  the  royal  exchequer.  It 
was  even  believed,  and  asserted  from  the  begin- 
ning, that  the  Kings  had  been  moved  to  establish 
aad  countenance  this  tribunal  more  by  their  haa- 


RELIGIOUS  PERSECUTION  257 

kering  after  tke  wealth  it  confiscated  than  by 
motives  of  piety. 

"Ih  the  third  place,  it  was  the  Inquisition,  and 
the  Inquisition  alone,  that  completely  shut  out 
all  extraneous  interference  with  the  state.  The 
sovereign  had  now  at  his  disposal  a  tribunal  from 
which  no  grandee,  no  Archbishop,  could  withdraw 
himself.  As  Charles  knew  no  other  means  of 
bringing  certain  punishment  on  the  Bishops  who 
had  taken  part  in  the  insurrection  of  the  Com- 
munidades  (or  communes  who  were  struggling  for 
their  rights  and  liberties),  he  chose  to  have  them 
judged  by  the  Inquisition.  ... 

"It  was  in  spirit  and  tendency  a  political  insti- 
tution. The  Pope  had  an  interest  in  thwarting  if, 
and  he  did  so;  but  the  King  had  an  interest  in 
constantly  upholding  it"  ^ 

That  the  Inquisition  acted  independently  of  the 
Holy  See,  and  that  even  the  Catholic  hierarchy 
fell  under  the  ban  of  this  royal  tribunal,  is  also 
apparent  from  the  following  fact :  After  the  con- 
vening of  the  Council  of  Trent,  Bartholomew  Car- 
anza.  Archbishop  of  Toledo,  was  arrested  by  the 
Inquisition  on  a  charge  of  heresy,  and  his  release 
from  prison  could  not  be  obtained  either  by  the 
interposition  of  Pius  IV.  or  the  remonstrance  of 
the  Council. 

It  is  true  that  Sixtus  IV.,  yielding  to  the  im- 
portunities of  Queen  Isabella,  consented  to  its  es- 
tablishmeat,  being  advised  that  it  was  necessary 
for  the  preservation  of  order  in  the  kingdom ;  but 
in  1481,  the  year  following  its  introduction,  when 
the  Jews  complained  to  him  of  its  severity,  the 
same  Pontiff  issued  a  Bull  against  the  Inquisitors, 
as  Prescott  informs  us,  in  which  "he  rebuked 
their  intemperate  zeal  and  even  threatened  them 

*  "The  ottoman  and  Spanish  Empires,"  by  Leopold  Ranke. 


258  72?^  /AxTH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

wit!i  deprivation."  He  wrote  to  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella  that  "mercy  towards  the  guilty  was  more 
pleasing  to  God  than  the  severity  which  they  were 
using. ' ' 

When  the  Pope  could  not  eradicate  the  evil  he 
encouraged  the  sufferers  to  flee  to  Rome,  where 
they  found  an  asylum,  and  where  he  took  the  fugi- 
tives under  his  protection.  In  two  years  he  re- 
ceived four  hundred  and  fifty  refugees  from 
Spain.  Did  the  Pontiff  send  them  back,  or  did 
he  inflict  vengeance  on  them  at  home?  Far  from 
it ;  they  were  restored  to  all  the  rights  of  citizens. 
How  can  we  imagine  that  the  Pope  would  en- 
courage in  Spain  the  legalized  murder  of  men 
whom  he  protected  from  violence  in  his  own  city, 
where  he  might  have  crushed  them  with  impunity? 
I  can  find  no  authenticated  instance  of  any  Pope 
putting  to  death,  in  his  own  dominions,  a  single 
individual  for  his  religious  belief. 

Moreover,  sometimes  the  Pope,  when  he  could 
not  reach  the  victims,  censured  and  excommuni'. 
cated  the  Inquisitor,  and  protected  the  children 
of  those  whose  property  was  confiscated  to  the 
crown. 

After  a  struggle  he  succeeded  in  preventing 
the  Spanish  government  from  establishing  its  In- 
quisition in  Naples  or  Milan,  which  then  belonged 
to  Spain,  so  great  was  his  abhorence  of  its  cruel- 
ties. 

To  sum  up:  I  have  endeavored  to  show  that 
the  Church  disavows  all  responsibility  for  the 
excesses  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition,  because  op- 
pression forms  no  part  of  her  creed;  that  these 
atrocities  have  been  grossly  exaggerated;  that  the 
Inquisition  was  a  political  tribunal ;  that  Catholic 
Prelates  were  amenable  to  its  sentence  as  well  as 
Moors  and  Jews,  and  that  the  Popes  denounced 


RELIGIOUS  PERSECUTION  3-^*^ 

and  labored  hard  to  abolish  its  sanguinary  fea- 
tures. 

And  yet  Eome  has  to  bear  all  the  odium  of 
the  Inquisition! 

I  heartily  pray  that  religious  intolerance  may 
never  take  root  in  our  favored  land.  May  the 
only  king  to  force  our  conscience  be  the  King  of 
kings ;  may  the  only  prison  erected  among  us  for 
the  sin  of  unbelief  or  misbelief  be  the  prison  of  a 
troubled  conscience ;  and  may  our  only  motive  for 
embracing  truth  be  not  the  fear  of  man,  but  the 
love  of  truth  and  of  God. 

II. 

What  about  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew? 

I  have  no  words  strong  enough  to  express  my 
detestation  of  that  inhuman  slaughter.  It  is  true 
that  the  number  of  its  victims  has  been  grossly 
exaggerated  by  partisan  writers,  but  that  is  no 
extenuation  of  the  crime  itself.  I  most  emphatic- 
ally assert  that  the  Church  had  no  act  or  part  in 
this  atrocious  butchery,  except  to  deplore  the  event 
and  weep  over  its  unhappy  victims.  Here  are  the 
facts  briefly  presented: 

First— In  the  reign  of  Charles  IX.  of  France 
the  Huguenots  were  a  formidable  power  and  a 
seditious  element  in  that  country.  They  were 
under  the  leadership  of  Admiral  Coligny,  who  was 
plotting  the  overthrow  of  the  ruling  monarch. 
The  French  King,  instigated  by  his  mother,  Cath- 
erine de  Medicis,  and  fearing  the  influence  of 
Coligny,  whom  he  regarded  as  an  aspirant  to  the 
throne,  compassed  his  assassination,  as  well  as 
that  of  his  followers  in  Paris,  August  24th,  1572. 
This  deed  of  violence  was  followed  by  an  indis- 
criminate  massacre   in   the  French  capital  and 


260  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

other  cities  of  France  by  an  incendiary  populace, 
who  are  easily  aroused  but  not  easily  appeased. 

Second — Eeligion  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
massacre.  Coligny  and  his  fellow  Huguenots 
were  slain  not  on  account  of  their  creed,  but  ex- 
clusively on  account  of  their  alleged  treasonable 
designs.  If  they  had  nothing  but  their  Protestant 
faith  to  render  them  odious  to  King  Charles,  they 
would  never  have  been  molested ;  for,  neither  did 
Charles  nor  his  mother  ever  manifest  any  special 
zeal  for  the  Catholic  Church  nor  any  special  aver- 
sion to  Protestantism,  unless  when  it  threatened 
the  throne. 

Third — Immediately  after  the  massacre  Charles 
despatched  an  envoy  extraordinary  to  each  of  the 
courts  of  Europe,  conveying  the  startling  intelli- 
gence that  the  King  and  royal  family  had  nar- 
rowly escaped  from  a  horrible  conspiracy,  and 
that  its  authors  had  been  detected  and  summarily 
punished.  The  envoys,  in  their  narration,  care- 
fully suppressed  any  allusion  to  the  indiscrimin- 
ate massacre  which  had  taken  place,  but  an- 
nounced the  event  in  the  following  words:  On 
that  "memorable  night,  by  the  destruction  of  a 
few  seditious  men,  the  King  had  been  delivered 
from  immediate  danger  of  death,  and  the  realm 
from  the  perpetual  terror  of  civil  war." 

Pope  Gregory  XIII.,  to  whom  also  an  envoy 
was  sent,  acting  on  this  garbled  information,  or- 
dered a  "Te  Deum"  to  be  sung,  and  a  commemo- 
rative medal  to  be  struck  in  thanksgiving  to  God, 
not  for  the  massacre,  of  which  he  was  utterly 
ignorant,  but  for  the  preservation  of  the  French 
King  from  an  untimely  and  violent  death,  and  of 
the  French  nation  from  the  horrors  of  a  civil 
war. 

Sismondi,  a  Protestant  historian,  tells  us  that 


EELIGIOUS  PIIKSECTTTION"  261 

the  Pope's  nuncio  in  Paris  was  purposely  kept  in 
ignorance  of  the  designs  of  Charles;  and  Raake, 
in  his  History  of  the  Civil  Wars,  informs  us  that 
Charles  and  his  mother  suddenly  left  Paris  in 
order  to  avoid  an  interview  with  the  Pope's  legate, 
who  arrived  soon  after  the  massacre ;  their  guilty 
censcience  fearing,  no  doubt,  a  rebuke  from  the 
messenger  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  from  whom 
the  real  facts  were  not  long  concealed. 

Fourth — It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  vindicate 
the  innocence  of  the  Bishops  and  clergy  of  France 
in  this  transaction,  as  no  author,  how  hostile  so- 
ever to  the  Church,  has  ever,  to  my  knowledge, 
accused  them  of  any  complicity  in  the  heinous 
massacre. 

On  the  contrary,  they  used  their  best  efforts 
to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  assailants,  to  pre- 
vent further  bloodshed  and  to  protect  the  lives  of 
the  fugitives.  More  than  three  hundred  Calvin- 
ists  were  sheltered  from  the  assassins  by  taking 
refuge  in  the  house  of  the  Archbishop  of  Lyons. 
The  Bishops  of  Lisieux,  Bordeaux,  Toulouse  and 
of  other  cities  offered  similar  protection  to  those 
who  sought  safety  in  their  homes. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  Church  slept  in  tranquil 
ignorance  of  the  stormy  scene  until  she  was 
aroused  to  a  knowledge  of  the  tempest  by  the 
sudden  uproar  it  created.  Like  her  Divine  Spouse 
on  the  troubled  waters,  she  presents  herself  only 
+0  say  to  them:  ''Peace  be  still." 

IIL 

I  am  asked:  Must  you  not  admit  that  Mary, 
Queen  &f  England,  persecuted  the  Pretestamts  of 
the  British  realm?  I  ask  this  question  in  reply: 
How  is   it   that   Cath&lics   are  persistently   re- 


262  THE  FAITH  OF  OTTR  FATHERS 

proached  for  the  persecutions  under  Mary's  reign, 
while  scarcely  a  voice  is  raised  in  condemnation 
of  the  legalized  fines,  confiscations  and  deaths  in- 
flicted on  the  Catholics  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land for  three  hundred  years — from  the  establish- 
ment of  the  church  of  England,  in  1534,  to  the 
time  of  the  Catholic  emancipation?  Elizabeth's 
hands  were  steeped  in  the  blood  of  Catholics, 
Puritans  and  Anabaptists,  Why  are  these  cruel- 
ties suppressed  or  glossed  over,  while  those  of 
Mary  form  the  burden  of  every  nursery  tale!  Is 
it  because  persecution  becomes  justice  when  Cath- 
olics happen  to  be  the  victims,  or  is  it  because  they 
are  expected,  from  long  usage,  to  be  insensible  to 
torture  ? 

If  we  weigh  in  the  scales  of  impartial  justice 
the  reigns  of  both  sisters,  we  shall  be  compelled 
to  bring  a  far  more  severe  verdict  against  Eliza- 
beth. 

First — Mary  reigned  only  five  years  and  four 
months.  Elizabeth's  reign  lasted  forty-four  years 
and  four  months.  The  younger  sister,  therefore, 
swayed  the  sceptre  of  authority  nearly  nine  times 
longer  than  the  elder;  and  the  number  of  Cath- 
olics who  suffered  for  their  faith  during  the  long 
administration  of  Elizabeth  may  be  safely  said  to 
exceed  in  the  same  proportion  the  victims  of 
Mary's  reign.  Hallam  asserts  that  ''the  rack  sel- 
dom stood  idle  in  the  tower  for  all  the  latter  part 
of  Elizabeth's  reign;"  ^  and  its  very  first  month 
was  stained  by  an  intolerant  statute.  - 

Second — The  most  unpardonable  act  of  Mary's 
life,  in  the  judgment  of  her  critics,  was  the  execu- 
tion of  Lady  Jane  Grey.  But  Lady  Jane  was 
guilty  of  high  treason,  having  usurped  the  throne 
of  England,  which  she  occupied  for  nine  days. 

^Constitutional  History;  Elizabeth,  Chap.  III. 
'See  Llngard,  Vol.  VIL,  pp.  244-5. 


EELIGIOUS  PERSECUTION  263 

Elizabeth  put  to  death  her  cousin  Mary,  Queen 
of  Scots,  after  a  long  imprisonment,  on  the  unsus- 
tained  charge  of  aspiring  to  the  English  throne. 

Third — Mary's  zeal  was  exercised  in  behalf  of 
the  religion  of  her  forefathers,  and  of  the  faith 
established  in  England  for  nearly  a  thousand 
years. 

Elizabeth's  zeal  was  employed  in  extending  the 
new  creed  introduced  by  her  father  in  a  moment 
of  passion,  and  modified  by  herself.  Surely,  the 
coercive  enforcement  of  a  new  creed  is  more 
odious  than  the  rigorous  maintenance  of  the  time- 
honored  faith  of  a  nation. 

Mary,  therefore,  insisted  on  perpetuating  the  es- 
tablished order  of  thmgs;  Elizabeth  on  subvert- 
ing it. 

Fourth — The  elder  sister  was  propagating  what 
she  believed  to  be  the  unchangeable  and  infallible 
doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ ;  the  younger  sister  was 
propagating  her  own  and  her  father's  novel  and 
more  or  less  uncertain  opinions. 

Fifth — While  Mary  had  no  private  or  personal 
motives  in  oppressing  Protestants,  Elizabeth's 
hostility  to  the  Catholic  Church  was  intensified, 
if  not  instigated,  by  her  hatred  of  the  Pope,  who 
had  declared  her  illegitimate.  Her  legitimacy  be- 
fore the  world  depended  on  the  success  of  the  new 
religion,  which  had  legalized  her  father's  divorce 
from  Catherine. 

Sixth — Hence  as  Macaulay  says,  Mary  was  sin- 
cere in  her  religion ;  Elizabeth  was  not.  * '  Having 
no  scruple  about  conforming  to  the  Romish  Church 
when  conformity  was  necessary  to  her  own  safety, 
retaining  to  the  last  moment  of  her  life  a  fond- 
ness for  much  of  the  doctrine  and  much  of  the 
ceremonial  of  that  Church,  she  yet  subjected  that 
Church  to  a  persecution  even  more  odious  than 


264  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

the  persecution  with  which  her  sister  had  harassed 
the  Protestants.  Mary  .  .  .  did  nothing  for  her 
religion  which  she  was  not  prepared  to  suffer  for 
it.  She  had  held  it  firmly  under  persecution.  She 
fully  believed  it  to  be  essential  to  salvation. 
Elizabeth,  in  opinion,  was  little  more  than  half  a 
Protestant.  She  had  professed,  when  it  suited 
her,  to  be  wholly  a  Catholic.  .  .  .  What  can  be 
said  in  defence  of  a  ruler  who  is  at  once  indiffer- 
eat  and  intolerant  T '  ^ 

An  intelligent  gentleman  in  North  Carolina  once 
said  to  me  tauntingly.  What  do  you  think  of 
bloody  Mary?  Did  you  ever  hear,  I  replied,  of 
her  sister's  cruelties  to  Catholics?  He  answered 
that  he  never  read  of  that  mild  woman  persecut- 
ing for  conscience'  sake.  I  was  amazed  at  his 
words,  until  he  acknowledged  that  his  historical 
library  was  comprised  in  one  work — D'  Auhigne's 
History  of  the  Reformation.  That  veracious  au- 
thor has  prudently  suppressed,  or  delicately 
touched,  Elizabeth's  peccadilloes  as  not  coming 
withia  the  scope  of  his  plan.  How  many  are 
found,  like  our  North  Carolina  gentleman,  who 
are  familiar  from  their  childhood  with  the  name 
of  Smithfield,  but  who  never  once  heard  of  Ty- 
^hurn! 


iMaeaulay's   Essays,   "Review  of  Nares'  Meicoirs  ot   Lord 
Burleigh." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

GRACE— THE  SACRAMENTS— ORIGINAL  SIN— BAPTISIV^- 

rrS  NECESSITY-ITS  EFFECTS— MANNER 

OF  BAPTIZING. 

THE  grace  of  God  is  that  supernatural  as- 
sistance which  He  imparts  to  us,  through  the 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  our  salvation.    It 
is  called  supernatural,  because  no  one  by  his  ©wn 
natural  ability  can  acquire  it. 

Without  Divine  grace  we  can  neither  conceive 
nor  accomplish  anything  for  the  sanctification  of 
our  souls.  "Not  that  we  are  sufficient,"  says 
the  Apostle,  "to  think  anything  of  ourselves,  as 
of  ourselves ;  but  our  sufficiency  is  from  God. ' '  ^ 
"For  it  is  God  who  worketh  in  you,  both  to  will 
and  to  accomplish"  2  anything  conducive  to  your 
salvation.  "Without  Me,"  says  our  Lord,  "you 
can  do  nothing. ' '  ^  But  in  order  that  Divine  grace 
may  effectually  aid  us  we  must  co-operate  with 
it,  or  at  least  we  must  not  resist  it. 

The  grace  of  God  is  obtained  chiefly  by  prayer 
and  the  Sacraments. 

A  Sacrament  is  a  visible  sign  instituted  by 
Christ  by  which  grace  is  conveyed  to  our  souls. 
Three  things  are  necessary  to  constitute  a  Sacra- 
ment, viz, — a  visible  sign,  invisible  grace  aad  the 
institution  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Thus,  in  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  there  is 

* II. Cor.  iii.  5.  'Phil.  ii.  13.  "John  xr.  5. 

2QB 


S66  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

the  outward  sign,  which  consists  in  the  pouring 
of  water  and  in  the  formula  of  words  which  are 
then  pronounced;  the  interior  grace  or  sanctifi- 
cation  which  is  imparted  to  the  soul:  "Be  bap- 
tized, .  .  .  and  you  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost ; "  ^  and  the  ordinance  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  said:  "Teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost."  ^ 

Our  Savior  instituted  seven  Sacraments,  name- 
ly. Baptism,  Confirmation,  Eucharist,  Penance, 
Extreme  Unction,  Orders  and  Matrimony,  which 
I  shall  explain  separately. 

According  to  the  teachings  of  Holy  Writ,  man 
was  created  in  a  state  of  innocence  and  holiness, 
and  after  having  spent  on  this  earth  his  allotted 
terms  of  years  he  was  destined,  without  tasting 
death,  to  be  translated  to  the  perpetual  society 
of  God  in  heaven.^  But  in  consequence  of  his  dis- 
obedience he  fell  from  his  high  estate  of  right- 
eousness; his  soul  was  defiled  by  sin;  he  became 
subject  to  death  and  to  various  ills  of  body  and 
soul  and  forfeited  his  heavenly  inheritance. 

Adam's  transgression  was  not  confined  to  him- 
self, but  was  transmitted,  with  its  long  train  of 
dire  consequences,  to  all  his  posterity.  It  is  called 
original  sin  because  it  is  derived  from  our  original 
progenitor.  "Wherefore,"  says  St.  Paul,  "as  by 
one  man  sin  entered  into  this  world,  and  by  sin 
death,  and  so  death  passed  unto  all  men,  in  whom 
all  have  sinned. ' '  ^  And  elsewhere  he  tells  us 
that  "we  were  by  nature  children  of  wrath."  ^ 

"Who,"  says  Job,  "can  make  him  clean  that  is 
conceived  of  unclean  seed, ' '  or,  as  the  Septuagint 
version  expresses  it :    "  There  is  no  one  free  from 

»Act8  ii    88.         "Matt  xxviii.   19.  ^  See  Wisdom  ii.  23. 

•Bom.  v>  12,  *Iilfih.  ii.  8. 


THE  SACEAMENT  OP  BAPTISM  267 

stain,  not  even  though,  his  life  be  of  one  day."  ^ 
As  an  infant  one  day  old  cannot  commit  an  actual 
sin,  the  stain  must  come  from  the  original  offense 
of  Adam.  "Behold,"  says  David,  "I  was  con- 
ceived in  iniquities,  and  in  sins  did  my  mother 
conceive  me. ' '  ^  The  Scripture  also  tells  us  that 
Jeremiah  and  John  the  Baptist  were  sanctified 
before  their  birth,  or  purified  from  sin,  and,  of 
course,  at  that  period  of  their  existence  they 
were  incapable  of  actual  sin.  They  were  cleansed, 
therefore,  from  the  original  taint. 

These  passages  clearly  show  that  we  have  all 
inherited  the  transgression  of  our  first  parents, 
and  that  we  are  born  enemies  of  God.  And  it  is 
equally  plain  that  these  texts  apply  to  every  mem- 
ber of  the  human  family — to  the  infant  of  a  day 
old  as  well  as  to  the  adult. 

Indeed,  even  without  the  light  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, we  have  only  to  look  into  ourselves  to  be 
convinced  that  our  nature  has  undergone  a  rude 
shock.  How  else  can  we  account  for  the  miseries 
and  infirmities  of  our  bodies,  the  blindness  of  our 
understanding,  the  perversity  of  our  will — inclined 
always  to  evil  rather  than  to  good — the  violence 
of  our  passions,  which  are  constantly  waging  war 
in  our  hearts?  How  well  does  the  Catholic  doc- 
trine explain  this  abnormal  state.  Hence,  Pas- 
chal truly  says  that  man  is  a  greater  mystery 
to  himself  without  original  sin  than  is  the  mys- 
tery itself. 

The  Church,  however,  declares  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary  was  exempted  from  the  stain  of 
original  sin  by  the  merits  of  our  Savior  Jesus 
Christ;  and  that,  consequently,  she  was  never 
for  an  instant  subject  to  the  dominion  of  Satan. 

*  Job  xiv.  4.  *  Ps.  I.  7. 


268  THE  FAITH  OF  OUK  FATHERS 

This  is  wliat  is  meant  by  the  doctrine  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception. 

But  God,  in  passing  sentence  of  condemnation 
on  Adam,  consoled  him  by  the  promise  of  a  Re- 
deemer to  come.  ''I  will  put  enmities,"  saith  the 
Lord,  "between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  thy 
seed  and  her  seed ;  she  shall  crush  thy  kead. ' '  ^ 
Jesus,  the  seed  of  Mary,  is  the  chosen  one  who 
was  destined  to  crush  the  head  of  the  infernal 
serpent.  And  *'when  the  fulness  of  time  was 
come  God  sent  His  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  .  .  . 
that  He  might  redeem  them  that  were  under  the 
law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons. ' '  - 

Jesus  Christ,  our  Redeemer,  came  to  wash  away 
the  defilement  from  our  souls  and  to  restore  us 
to  that  Divine  friendship  which  we  had  lost  by 
the  sin  of  Adam.  He  is  the  second  Adam,  who 
came  to  repair  the  iniquity  of  the  first.  It  was 
our  Savior's  privilege  to  prescribe  the  conditions 
on  which  our  reconciliation  with  God  was  to  be 
effected. 

Now  He  tells  us  in  His  Gospel  that  Baptism  is 
the  essential  means  established  for  washing  away 
the  stain  of  original  sin  and  the  door  by  which 
we  find  admittance  into  His  Church,  which  may 
be  called  the  second  Eden.  We  must  all  submit 
to  a  new  birth,  or  regeneration,  before  we  can 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Water  is  the  ap- 
propriate instrument  of  this  new  birth,  as  it  indi- 
cates the  interior  cleansing  of  the  soul;  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  Giver  of  spiritual  life,  is  its  Anther. 

The  Church  teaches  that  Baptism  is  necessary 
for  all,  for  infants  as  well  as  adults,  and  her  doc- 
trine rests  on  the  following  grounds: 

Our  Lord  says  to  Nicodemus;  ''Amen,  amen, 

1  Gen.  m.  15.  2  Gal.  iv.  4,  5. 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  BAPTISM  269 

I  say  to  thee,  unless  a  man  be  born  again  of 
water  and  the  Holy  Ghost  he  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God."^  These  words  embrace  the 
whole  hiunan  family,  without  regard  to  age  or 
sex,  as  is  evident  from  the  original  Greek  text, 
for  Tt9,  which  is  rendered  man  in  our  English, 
translation,  means  any  one — mankind  in  its  broad- 
est acceptation. 

The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  the  Epistles  of 
St.  Paul,  although  containing  only  a  fragmentary 
account  of  the  ministry  of  the  Apostles,  plainly 
insinuate  that  the  Apostles  baptized  children  as 
well  as  grown  persons.  We  are  told,  for  instance, 
that  Lydia  ^'was  baptized,  and  her  household,"  ^ 
by  St.  Paul ;  and  that  the  jailer  ' '  was  baptized,  and 
all  his  family. ' '  ^  The  same  Apostle  baptized  also 
''the  household  of  Stephanas.""*  Although  it  is 
not  expressly  stated  that  there  were  children 
among  these  baptized  families,  the  presumption 
is  strongly  in  favor  of  the  supposition  that  there 
were.  But  if  any  doubt  exists  regarding  the 
Apostolic  practice  of  baptizing  infants  it  is  easily 
removed  by  referring  to  the  writings  of  the  primi- 
tive Fathers  of  the  Church,  who,  as  they  were 
the  immediate  successors  of  the  Apostles,  ought 
to  be  the  best  interpreters  of  their  doctrines  and 
practice. 

St.  Irenaeus,  a  disciple  of  Polycarp,  who  was  a 
disciple  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  says :  ' '  Christ 
came  to  save  all  through  Himself;  all,  I  say,  tvho 
are  born  aneiv  (or  baptized)  through  Him — in- 
fants and  little  ones,  boys  and  youths,  and  aged 
persons."  ^ 

Origen,  who  lived  a  few  years  later,  writes: 

*John  iil.  5.  *Acts  svl.  15. 

» Ibid.  xvi.  33.  *  I  Cor.  I.  16. 

•Lib.  II.  adr.  Hser. 


270  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

"The   Church   received   the   tradition   from   the 
Apostles,  to  give  baptism  even  to  infants."  ^ 

The  early  church  of  Africa  bears  triumphant 
testimony  in  vindication  of  infant  baptism.  St. 
Cyprian  and  sixty-six  suffragan  Prelates  held  a 
council  in  the  metropolitan  city  of  Carthage,  in  the 
year  253.  While  the  Council  is  in  session  a  Pre- 
late named  Fidus  writes  to  the  Fathers,  asking 
them  whether  infants  ought  to  be  baptized  before 
the  eighth  day  succeeding  their  birth,  or  on  the 
eighth  day,  in  accordance  with  the  practice  of 
circumcision.  The  Bishops  unanimously  sub- 
scribe to  the  following  reply:  "As  to  what  re- 
gards the  baptism  of  infants,  ...  we  all  judged 
that  the  mercy  and  grace  of  God  should  be  de- 
nied to  no  human  being  from  the  moment  of  his 
birth.  If  even  to  the  greatest  delinquents  the  re- 
mission of  sins  is  granted,  how  much  less  should 
the  infant  be  repelled,  who,  being  recently  born 
according  to  Adam,  has  contracted  at  his  first 
birth  the  contagion  of  the  ancient  death. ' '  ^  The 
African  Council  asserts  here  two  prominent  facts 
— the  universal  contagion  of  the  human  race 
through  Adam's  fall,  and  the  universal  necessity 
of  Baptism  without  distinction  of  age. 

Upon  this  decision,  I  will  make  two  observa- 
tions: First — Fidus  did  not  inquire  about  the 
necessity  of  infant  baptism,  which  he  already  ad- 
mitted, but  about  the  propriety  of  conferring  it 
on  the  eighth  day,  in  imitation  of  the  Jewish  law 
of  circumcision.  Second — The  Bishops  assembled 
in  that  Council  were  as  numerous  as  the  whole 
Episcopate  of  the  United  States,  which  contains 
about  five  thousand  Priests  and  upwards  of  six 
millions  of  Catholics.    We  may  therefore  reason- 

*  In  Ep.  ad  Rom.         '  Epls.  ad  Fidum. 


THE  SACEAMENT  OF  BAPTISM  ^*. 

ably  conclude  tliat  the  judgment  of  the  African 
Council  represented  the  faith  of  several  thousand 
Priests  and  several  millions  of  Catholics. 

St.  Augustine,  commenting  on  this  decision, 
justly  observes  that  St.  Cyprian  and  his  col- 
leagues made  no  new  decree,  but  maintained  moat 
firmly  the  faith  of  the  Church.  And  this  is  the 
unanimous  sentiment  of  tradition  from  the  days 
of  the  Apostles  to  our  own  times. 

Is  it  not  ludicrous  as  well  as  impious  to  see  a 
few  German  fanatics,  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
raising  their  feeble  voice  against  the  thunder 
tones  of  all  Christendom,  by  decrying  a  practice 
which  was  universally  held  as  sacred  and  essen- 
tial? In  judging  between  the  teachings  of  Apos- 
tolical antiquity  on  the  one  hand  and  of  the  Ana- 
baptists on  the  other,  it  is  not  hard  to  determine 
on  which  side  lies  the  truth;  for,  what  becomes 
of  the  Christian  Church,  if  it  has  erred  on  so  vital 
a  point  as  that  of  Baptism  during  the  entire 
period  of  its  existence? 

Original  sin,  as  St.  Paul  has  told  us,  is  uni- 
versal. Every  child  is,  therefore,  defiled  at  its 
birth  with  the  taint  of  Adam 's  disobedience.  Now, 
the  Scripture  says  that  nothing  defiled  can  enter 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.^  Hence  Baptism,  which 
w^ashes  away  original  sin,  is  as  essential  for  the 
infant  as  for  the  full  grown  man,  in  order  to  at- 
tain the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

I  said  that  regeneration  is  necessary  for  all. 
But  it  is  important  to  observe  that  if  a  man  is 
heartily  sorry  for  his  sins,  if  he  loves  God  with 
his  whole  heart,  if  he  desires  to  comply  with  all 
the  Divine  ordinances,  including  Baptism,  but  has 
no  opportunity  of  receiving  it,  or  is  not  sufficiently 
instructed  as  to  its  necessity,  God,  in  this  case, 
accepts  the  will  for  the  deed.  Should  this  man  die 
in  these  dispositions,  he  is  saved  by  the  baptism  p/ 

lApoc.  xxi.  27, 


9,72  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

desire,  as  happened  to  the  Emperor  Valentinian 
who  died  a  Catechuman:  "I  lost  him  whom  I  was 
about  to  regenerate,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  ''but  he 
did  not  lose  that  gi'ace  he  sought  for. ' '  Or,  if  an  un- 
baptized  person  lays  down  his  life  for  Christ,  his 
death  is  accepted  as  more  than  an  equivalent  for 
baptism;  for  he  dies  not  only  sanctified,  but  he  will 
wear  a  martyr's  crown.   He  is  baptised  in  his  own 

blood. 

But  is  not  that  a  cruel  and  heartless  doctrine 
which  excludes  from  heaven  so  many  harmless 
babes  that  have  never  committed  any  actual  fault? 
To  this  I  reply:  Has  not  God  declared  that  Bap- 
tism is  necessary  for  all?  And  is  not  God  the 
supreme  Wisdom  and  Justice  and  Mercy?  I  am 
sure,  then,  that  there  can  be  nothing  cruel  or  un- 
just in  God's  decrees.  The  province  of  reason 
consists  in  ascertaining  that  God  has  spoken. 
When  we  know  that  He  has  spoken,  then  our  in- 
vestigation ceases,  and  faith  and  obedience  be- 
gin. Instead  of  impiously  criticising  the  Divine 
decree,  we  should  exclaim  with  the  Apostle :  "  0 ! 
the  depth  of  the  riches  of  the  wisdom  and  knowl- 
edge of  God !  how  incomprehensible  are  His  judg- 
ments, and  how  unsearchable  His  ways !  For,  who 
hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord?  or  who  hath 
been  His  counsellor?"^ 

Let  us  remember  that  heaven  is  a  place  to  which 
none  of  us  has  any  inherent  right  or  natural  claim, 
but  that  it  is  promised  to  us  by  the  pure  favor 
of  God.  He  can  reject  and  adopt  whom  He 
pleases,  and  can,  without  injustice,  prescribe  His 
own  conditions  for  accepting  His  proffered  boon. 
If  your  child  is  deprived  of  heaven  by  being  de- 
prived of  Baptism,  God  does  it  no  wrong  because 
He  infringes  no  right  to  which  your  child  had 
any  inalienable  title.  If  your  child  obtains  the 
grace  of  Baptism  be  thankful  for  the  ^ift. 

"Rom.  xi.  33,  34. 


THE   SACEAMENT  OF  BAPTISM  273 

It  is  j^roper  here  to  state  briefly  what  the 
Church  actually  teaches  regarding  the  future  state 
of  unbaptized  infants.  Though  the  Church,  in 
obedience  to  God's  Word,  declares  that  unbap- 
tized infants  are  excluded  from  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  it  should  not  hence  be  concluded  that  they 
are  consigned  to  the  place  of  the  reprobate.  None 
are  condemned  to  the  torments  of  the  damned 
but  such  as  merit  Divine  vengeance  by  their  per- 
sonal sins. 

All  that  the  Church  holds  on  this  point  is  that 
unregenerate  children  are  deprived  of  the  beatific 
vision,  or  the  possession  of  God,  which  constitutes 
the  essential  happiness  of  the  blessed. 

Now,  between  the  supreme  bliss  of  heaven  and 
the  torments  of  the  reprobate,  there  is  a  very 
wide  margin. 

All  admit  that  the  condition  of  unbaptized  in- 
fants is  better  than  non-existence.  There  are 
some  Catholic  writers  of  distinction  who  even  as- 
sert that  unbaptized  infants  enjoy  a  certain  de- 
gree of  natural  beatitude — that  is,  a  happiness 
which  is  based  on  the  natural  knowledge  and  love 
of  God. 

From  what  has  been  said  you  may  well  judge 
how  reprehensible  is  the  conduct  of  Catholic  par- 
ents who  neglect  to  have  their  children  baptized 
at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  thereby  risking 
their  own  souls,  as  well  as  the  souls  of  their  inno- 
cent offspring.  How  different  was  the  practice 
of  the  early  Christians,  who,  as  St.  Augustine 
testifies,  hastened  with  their  new-born  babes  to 
the  baptismal  font  that  they  might  not  be  de- 
prived of  the  grace  of  regeneration. 

If  an  infant  is  sick,  no  expense  is  spared  that 
its  life  nay  be  preserved.  The  physician  is  called 
in,  medicine  is  given  to  it,  and  the  mother  will 


274  THE  PAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

spend  sleepless  nights  watching  every  movement 
of  the  infant;  she  will  sacrifice  her  repose,  her 
health;  nay,  she  will  expose  even  her  own  life 
that  the  life  of  her  offspring  may  be  saved.  And 
yet  the  supernatural  happiness  of  the  child  is 
too  often  imperiled  without  remorse  by  the  crim- 
inal postponement  of  Baptism. 

But  if  they  are  to  be  censured  who  are  slow 
in  having  their  children  baptized,  what  are  we 
to  think  of  that  large  body  of  professing  Chris- 
tians who,  on  principle,  deny  Baptism  to  little 
ones  till  they  come  to  the  age  of  discretion?  What 
are  we  to  think  of  those  who  set  their  private 
opinions  above  Scripture,  the  early  Fathers  of 
the  Church  and  the  universal  practice  of  Chris- 
tendom? 

We  may  smile  indeed  at  a  theological  opinion, 
no  matter  how  novel  or  erroneous  it  may  be,  so 
long  as  it  does  not  involve  any  dangerous  con- 
sequences. But  when  it  is  given  in  a  case  of  life 
and  death,  how  terrible  is  the  responsibility  of 
those  who  propagate  doctrines  so  erroneous ! 

The  opposite  practice  of  the  Catholic  and  the 
Baptist  churches,  in  their  treatment  of  the  new- 
born infant,  may  be  well  compared  to  the  conduct 
of  the  true  and  the  false  mother  who  both  claimed 
the  child  at  the  tribunal  of  Solomon.  The  king 
exclaimed:  ''Divide  the  living  child  in  two,  and 
give  half  to  the  one  and  half  to  the  other."  The 
pretended  mother  consented,  saying:  Let  it  be 
neither  mine  nor  thine,  but  divide  it.  ''But  the 
woman  whose  child  was  alive,  said  to  the  king 
(for  her  bowels  were  moved  upon  her  child) :  I 
beseech  thee,  my  lord,  give  her  the  child  alive, 
and  do  not  kill  it."  While  the  Baptist  church  is 
willing  that  the  child  should  die  a  spiritual  death, 
the  true  mother,  the  Catholic  Church,  cries  out: 


THE   SACRAMENT   OF  BAPTISM  275 

Keep  the  child,  provided  its  spiritual  life  is  saved, 
even  at  your  hands.  Let  it  be  clothed  with  the 
robe  of  innocence  even  by  a  stranger.  Let  it  be 
nursed  at  the  breasts  even  of  a  step-mother.  Bet- 
ter it  should  live  without  me  than  perish  before 
my  face.  I  will  still  be  its  mother,  though  it 
know  me  not. 

Ah !  my  Baptist  friend,  you  think  that  Baptism 
is  not  necessary  for  your  child's  salvation.  The 
old  Church  teaches  the  contrary.  You  admit  that 
you  may  be  wrong,  and  it  is  a  question  of  life  and 
death.  Take  the  safe  side.  Give  your  child  the 
benefit  of  the  doubt.    Let  it  be  baptized. 

Baptism  washes  away  original  sin,  and  also 
actual  sins  from  the  adult  who  may  have  con- 
tracted them.  The  cleansing  efficacy  of  Baptism 
was  clearly  foreshadowed  by  the  prophet  Ezechiel 
in  these  words :  "I  will  pour  upon  you  clean 
water,  and  you  shall  be  cleansed  from  all  your 
filthiness.  And  I  will  give  you  a  new  heart  and 
will  put  a  new  spirit  within  you."  -^ 

When  the  Jews  asked  St.  Peter  what  they 
should  do  to  be  saved  the  Apostle  replied:  ''Re- 
pent, and  let  everyone  of  you  be  baptized  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  your 
sins."  2 

And  Ananias  said  to  Saul,  after  his  conver- 
sion: "Rise  up  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away 
thy  sins. ' '  ^ 

"We  were  by  nature,"  says  St.  Paul,  "chil- 
dren of  wrath,"  but  by  our  regeneration,  or  new 
birth  in  Baptism,  we  become  Christians  a7id  chil- 
dren of  God.  "For,  ye  are  all  the  children  of 
God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  For  as  many  of 
you  as  have  been  baptized  in  Christ  have  put  on 
Christ."^    We  are  adopted  into  the  same  family 

i  Ezech.  xxxvl.  25,  26.  2  Acts  ii.  38.  « Ibid.  xxil.  19. 

4  Gal.   Hi.   26,   27. 


276  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

with  Jesus  Christ.  "What  He  is  by  nature  we  are 
by  grace — children  of  God,  and  consequently 
brethren  of  Christ.  Nay,  our  union  with  Jesus  is 
still  more  close.  We  become  true  members  of  His 
mystical  body,  which  is  His  Church,  and  His  Di- 
vine image  is  stamped  upon  our  soul. 

Baptism  also  clothes  us  with  the  garment  of 
sanctity,  so  that  our  soul  becomes  a  fit  dwelling- 
place  for  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Apostle,  after  giv- 
ing a  fearful  catalogue  of  the  vices  of  the  Pagans, 
says  to  the  Corinthians:  ''And  such  some  of  you 
were;  but  ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified, 
but  ye  are  justified  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  in  the  Spirit  of  God."* 

Baptism,  in  fine,  makes  us  heirs  of  heaven  and 
co-heirs  with  Jesus  Christ.  *'We  ourselves  also," 
says  St,  Paul,  "were  sometimes  unwise,  incredu- 
lous, erring,  slaves  to  divers  desires  and  pleas- 
ures, living  in  malice  and  envy,  hateful,  and 
hating  one  another.  But  when  the  goodness  and 
kindness  of  God  our  Savior  appeared,  .  .  .  He 
saved  us  by  the  laver  of  regeneration  and  reno- 
vation of  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  He  hath  poured 
forth  abundantly  upon  us,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Savior,  that  being  justified  by  His  grace,  we 
may  be  heirs,  according  to  the  hope  of  life  ever- 
lasting." ^ 

Here  we  plainly  see  that  the  forgiveness  of  sin, 
the  adoption  into  the  family  of  God,  the  sancti- 
fication  of  the  soul  and  the  pledge  of  eternal  life 
are  ascribed  to  the  due  reception  of  Baptism — 
not,  indeed,  that  water  or  the  words  of  the  min- 
ister have  any  intrinsic  virtue  to  heal  the  soul,  but 
because  Jesus  Christ,  whose  word  113  i^reative 
power,  is  pleased  to  attach  to  this  rite  its  won- 
derful  efficacy  of  healing  the  soul,  as  He  imparted 

»L  Gor.  vi.  11.  ''Tit.  iil.  3-7. 


THE  SACEAMENT   OF  BAPTISM  277 

to  the  pool  of  Bethsaida  the  power  of  healing  the 
body."i 

From  what  has  been  said,  I  ask  you  candidly 
what  are  you  to  think  of  the  decision  rendered  in 
1872  by  the  Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  who,  in  their  convention  in  Baltimore,  de- 
clared that  by  the  word  regeneration  we  are  not  to 
understand  a  moral  change.  If  no  moral  change 
is  effected  by  Baptism,  then  there  is  no  change  at 
all;  for  certainly  Baptism  produces  no  physical 
change  in  the  soul. 

Is  it  no  change  to  pass  from  sin  to  virtue,  from 
a  ''child  of  wrath"  to  be  a  "child  of  God;"  from 
corruption  to  sanctification ;  from  the  condition  of 
heirs  of  death  to  the  inheritance  of  heaven  ?  If  all 
this  implies  no  moral  change,  then  these  words 
have  lost  their  meaning. 

Modes  of  baptizing.  The  Baptists  err  in  assert- 
ing that  Baptism  by  immersion  is  the  only  valid 
mode.  Baptism  may  be  validly  administered  in 
either  of  three  ways,  viz:  by  immersion,  or  by 
plunging  the  candidate  into  the  water ;  by  infusion^ 
or  by  pouring  the  water;  and  by  aspersion,  or 
sprinkling. 

As  our  Lord  nowhere  prescribes  any  special 
form  of  administering  the  Sacrament,  the  Church 
exercises  her  discretion  in  adopting  the  most  con- 
venient mode,  according  to  the  circumstances  of 
time  and  place. 

For  several  centuries  after  the  establishment  of 
Christianity  Baptism  was  usually  conferred  by 
immersion ;  but  since  the  twelfth  century  the  prac- 
tice of  baptising  by  infusion  has  prevailed  in  the 
Catholic  Church,  as  this  manner  is  attended  with 
less  inconvenience  than  Baptism  by  immersion. 

To  prove  that  Baptism  by  infusion  or  by  sprink- 

*John  V. 


278  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

ling  is  as  legitimate  as  by  immersion,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  observe  that,  though  immersion  was 
the  more  common  practice  in  the  Primitive 
Church,  the  Sacrament  was  frequently  adminis- 
tered even  then  by  infusion  and  aspersion. 

After  St.  Peter's  first  discourse  three  thousand 
persons  were  baptized.^  It  is  not  likely  that  so 
many  could  have  been  immersed  in  one  day, 
especially  when  we  consider  the  time  occupied  in 
instructing  the  candidates. 

On  reading  the  account  of  the  Baptism  of  St. 
Paul  and  the  jailer  the  context  leaves  a  strong  im- 
pression on  the  mind  that  both  received  the  Sacra- 
ment by  aspersion  or  by  infusion. 

Early  ecclesiastical  history  records  a  great 
many  instances  in  which  Baptism  was  adminis- 
tered to  sich  persons  in  their  beds,  to  prisoners  in 
their  cells,  and  to  persons  on  shipboard.  The 
Fathers  of  the  Church  never  called  in  question  the 
validity  or  the  legitimacy  of  such  Baptisms.  Now, 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  believe  that  candidates 
in  such  situations  could  receive  the  rite  by  im- 
mersion. 

We  have  seen,  moreover,  that  Baptism  has  al- 
ways been  declared  necessary  for  salvation.  It  is 
reasonable,  hence,  to  believe  that  our  Lord  would 
have  afforded  the  greatest  facility  for  the  recep- 
tion of  so  essential  a  Sacrament. 

But  if  Baptism  by  immersion  only  is  valid,  how 
many  sick  and  delicate  persons,  how  many  prison- 
ers and  seafaring  people,  how  many  thousands 
living  in  the  frigid  zone,  or  even  in  the  temperate 
zone,  in  the  depth  of  an  inclement  winter,  though 
craving  the  grace  of  regeneration,  would  be  de- 
prived of  God's  seal,  or  would  receive  it  at  the  risk 
of  their  lives!    Surely  God  does  not  ordinarily 

,    *Acts  ii.  41. 


THE   SACRAMENT   OF  BAPTISM  279 

impose  His  ordinances  upon  us  under  such  a 
penalty. 

Moreover,  if  immersion  is  the  only  valid  form 
of  Baptism,  what  has  become  of  the  millions  of 
souls  who,  in  every  age  and  country,  have  been 
regenerated  by  the  infusion  or  the  aspersion  of 
watar  in  the  Christian  Church? 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  SACRAMENT  OF  CONFIRMATION. 

CONFIRMATION  is  a  Sacrament  in  which, 
through  the  imposition  of  the  Bishop's 
hands,  unction  and  prayer,  baptized  persons 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  they  may  steadfastly 
profess  their  faith  and  lead  upright  lives. 

This  Sacrament  is  called  Confirmation,  because 
it  confirms  or  strengthens  the  soul  by  Divine  grace. 
Sometimes  it  is  named  the  laying  on  of  hands,  be- 
cause the  Bishop  imposes  his  hands  on  those 
whom  he  confirms.  It  is  also  known  by  the  name 
of  Chrism,  because  the  forehead  of  the  person  con- 
firmed is  anointed  with  chrism  in  the  form  of  a 
cross. 

Frequent  mention  is  made  of  this  Sacrament  in 
the  Holy  Scripture.  In  the  Acts  it  is  written  that 
"When  the  Apostles  who  were  in  Jerusalem  had 
heard  that  Samaria  had  received  the  Word  of  God 
they  sent  unto  them  Peter  and  John,  who,  when 
they  were  come,  prayed  for  them  that  they  might 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost ;  for  He  was  not  yet  come 
upon  any  of  them,  but  the^y  were  only  baptized 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Then  they  laid 
their  hands  on  them,  and  they  received  the  Holy 
Ghost."! 

It  is  also  related  that  the  disciples  at  Ephesus 
"were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 

*Acts  viii.  14-17. 

280 


THE  SACEAMENT  OF  CONFIRMATION     281 

and  when  Paul  had  imposed  his  hands  upon  them 
the  Holy  Ghost  came  upon  them  and  they  spoke 
tongues  and  prophesied."  ^ 

In  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  St.  Paul  enumer- 
ates Confirmation,  or  the  laying  on  of  hands, 
together  with  Baptism  and  Penance,  among  the 
fundamental  truths  of  Christianity.  - 

To  the  Corinthians  he  writes:  '*He  that  con- 
firmeth  us  with  you  in  Christ,  and  that  hath 
anointed  us,  is  God;  who  also  hath  sealed  us  and. 
given  the  pledge  of  the  Spirit  in  our  hearts. ' '  ^ 
God  confirmeth  us  in  faith;  He  hath  anointed  us 
by  spiritual  unction,  typified  by  the  sacred  chrism 
which  is  marked  on  our  foreheads.  He  hath  sealed 
us  by  the  indelible  character  stamped  on  our  souls, 
which  is  indicated  by  the  sign  of  the  cross  im- 
pressed on  us.  He  hath  given  the  pledge  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  our  hearts,  by  the  testimony  of  a 
good  conscience,  as  an  earnest  of  future  glory. 
The  Bishop  performs  the  external  unction,  but 
God,  "who  worketh  all  in  all,"  sanctifies  the  soul 
by  His  secret  operation. 

It  cannot  be  asserted  that  the  laying  on  of  hands 
and  the  graces  which  followed  from  it,  as  recorded 
in  the  Acts,  were  not  intended  to  be  continued 
after  the  Apostles '  times,  for  there  is  no  warrant 
for  such  an  assumption.  This  function  of  impos- 
ing hands  formed  as  regular  and  imperative  a  part 
of  the  Apostolic  ministry  as  the  duties  which  they 
exercised  in  preaching,  baptizing,  ordaining,  etc. 
Hence  the  successors  of  the  Apostles  in  the  nine- 
teenth century  have  precisely  the  same  authority 
and  obligation  to  confirm  as  they  have  to  preach, 
to  baptize  or  to  ordain. 

Those   who   were   confirmed   by  the   Apostles 

'Acts  xix.  5,  6.  'Heb.  vi.  1,  2.  « II.  Cor.  i.  21. 


283  THE  FAITH  OF  OFIl  FATHERS 

usually  gave  evidence  of  the  grace  which  they  re- 
ceived by  prophecy,  the  gift  of  tongues  and  the 
manifestation  of  other  miraculous  powers.  It  may 
be  asked :  Why  do  not  these  gifts  accompany  now 
the  imposition  of  hands  ?  I  answer :  Because  they 
are  no  longer  needed.  The  grace  which  the  Apos- 
tolic disciples  received  was  for  their  personal 
sanctification.  The  gift  of  tongues  which  they 
exercised  was  intended  by  Almighty  God  to  edify 
and  enlighten  the  spectators,  and  to  give  Divine 
sanction  to  the  Apostolic  ministry.  But  now  that 
the  Church  is  firmly  established,  and  the  Divine 
authority  of  her  ministry  is  clearly  recognized, 
these  miracles  are  no  longer  necessary.  St.  Greg- 
ory illustrates  this  point  by  a  happy  comparison : 
As  the  sapling,  he  says,  when  it  is  first  planted 
is  regularly  watered  by  the  gardener,  who  softens 
the  earth  around  it,  that  the  sun  and  the  moisture 
may  nourish  its  roots  until  it  takes  deep  root  and 
it  no  longer  requires  any  special  care,  so  the 
Church  in  her  infancy  had  to  be  nourished  by  the 
miraculous  power  of  God.  But  after  it  had  taken 
root  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  and  spread  it? 
branches  over  the  earth  it  was  left  to  the  ordinary 
agencies  of  Providence. 

St.  Augustine  writes  also  on  the  same  subject: 
"In  the  first  days  (of  the  Church)  the  Holy  Ghost 
came  down  on  believers,  and  they  spoke  in  tongues 

which  they  had  not  learned These  were 

miracles  suited  to  the  times Is  it  now  ex- 
pected that  they  upon  whom  hands  are  laid  should 
speak  with  tongues  ?  Or,  when  we  imposed  hands 
on  these  children,  did  each  of  you  wait  to  see 
whether  they  would  speak  with  tongues?  ....  If, 
then,  there  be  not  now  a  testimony  to  the  presence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  by  means  of  these  miracles, 
whence  is  it  proved  that  he  has  received  the  Holy 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  CONFIEMATIOX     283 

Spirit  ?  Let  him  ask  his  c"tvn  heart ;  if  he  loves  his 
brother,  the  Spirit  of  God  abides  in  him."  ^ 

Following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Apostles  we 
find  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  from  the  earliest 
age,  recognizing  Confirmation  as  a  Divine  and 
sacramental  institution  and  proclaiming  its  salu- 
tary effects. 

"The  flesh,"  says  Tertullian,  "is  anointed,  that 
the  soul  may  be  consecrated ;  the  flesh  is  marked, 
that  the  soul  may  be  fortified;  the  flesh  is  over- 
shadowed bt/  the  imposition  of  hands,  that  the  soul 
may  be  enlightened  with  the  Spirit. ' '  - 

St.  Cyprian,  speaking  of  the  Christians  baptized 
in  Samaria,  says :  "Because  they  had  received  the 
legitimate  baptism,  ....  what  was  wanting,  that 
was  done  by  Peter  and  John,  that  prayer  being 
made  for  them  and  hands  imposed,  the  Holy  Ghost 
should  be  invoked  and  poured  forth  upon  them. 
Which  now  also  is  done  amongst  us,  so  that  they 
who  are  baptized  in  the  Church  are  presented  to 
the  Bishops  of  the  Church,  and  by  our  prayer  and 
imposition  of  hands  they  receive  the  Holy  Ghost 
pnd  are  perfected  with  the  seal  of  the  Lord. ' '  ^ 

St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem  compares  the  sacred 
Chrism  in  Confirmation  to  the  Eucharist:  *'You 
were  anointed  with  oil,  being  made  sharers  and 
partners  of  Christ.  And  see  well  that  you  regard 
it  not  as  mere  ointment;  for,  as  the  bread  of  the 
Eucharist,  after  the  invocation  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
is  no  longer  mere  bread  but  the  body  of  Christ,  so 
likewise  this  holy  ointment  is  no  longer  common 
ointment  after  the  invocation,  but  the  gift  of 
Christ  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  being  rendered 
efficient  by  His  Divinity.  You  were  anointed  on 
the  forehead,  that  you  might  be  delivered  from  the 

1  Tract  VI.  in  Ep.  Joan.        »  De  Resur.  car.        3  Epist.  Isxiii. 


284  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

shame  which  the  first  transgressor  always  expe- 
rienced, and  that  you  might  contemplate  the  glory 

of  God  with  an  unveiled  countenance As 

Christ,  after  His  baptism  and  the  descent  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  upon  Him,  going  forth  overcame  the 
adversary,  so  you  likewise,  after  holy  baptism  and 
the  mysterious  unction,  clothed  with  the  panoply 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  stand  against  the  adverse 
power  and  subdue  it,  saying:  'I  can  do  all  things 
in  Christ,  who  strength eneth  me.*  *'^ 

St.  Ambrose,  commenting  on  these  words  of  the 
Apostle,  ' '  God  ....  hath  given  us  the  pledge  of 
the  Spirit,"  (II.  Cor.  i.  22)  expressly  applies  the 
text  to  the  seal  of  Confirmation;  "Eemember," 
he  says,  ''that  you  have  received  the  spiritual  seal, 
the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding,  the  spirit 
of  counsel  and  fortitude,  the  spirit  of  knowledge 
and  piety,  the  spirit  of  holy  fear.  God  the  Father 
hath  sealed  you;  Christ  the  Lord  hath  confirmed 
you,  and  hath  given  the  pledge  of  the  Spirit  in 
your  hearts,  as  you  have  learned  from  the  lesson 
read  from  the  Apostle."  ^ 

St.  Ambrose  here  speaks  of  the  sevenfold  gifts 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  are  received  in  Confirma- 
tion, and  every  Bishop  in  our  day  invokes  these 
same  gifts  on  those  whom  he  is  about  to  confirm. 

''Do  you  know,"  writes  St.  Jerome  against  the 
sect  of  Luciferians  of  his  time,  "that  it  is  the  prac- 
tice of  the  churches  that  the  imposition  of  hands 
should  be  performed  over  baptized  persons  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  thus  invoked?  Do  you  ask  where 
it  is  written?  In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles;  but 
were  there  no  Scriptural  authority  at  hand  the 
consent  of  the  whole  world  in  this  regard  would 
have  the  force  of  law. ' '  ^ 

*Cat.  xxi.  Mys.  iii.  De  S.  Chrism. 

'  De  Myst.  cvii.  n.  42.  '  Dial.  adv.  Lucifer. 


THE  SACEAMEXT  OF  COXFIRMATIOX     285 

'*Yon  willingly  understand,"  says  St.  Augus- 
tine, ' '  by  this  ointment  the  Sacrament  of  Chrism, 
which,  indeed,  in  the  class  of  visible  seals  is  as 
sacred  as  Baptism  itself."^ 

The  Oriental  schismatic  churches  recognize  Con- 
firmation as  a  Sacrament,  and  administer  the  rite 
as  we  do,  by  the  imposition  of  hands  and  the  ap- 
plication of  chrism.  Now,  some  of  these  churches 
have  been  separated  from  the  Catholic  Church 
since  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries.  This  fact  is 
an  eloquent  vindication  of  the  Apostolic  antiquity 
of  Confirmation,  and  is  an  ample  refutation  of 
those  who  would  ascribe  to  it  a  more  recent  origin. 

Protestantism,  which  made  such  havoc  of  the 
other  Sacraments,  did  not  fail  to  abolish  Confir- 
mation in  its  sweeping  revolution. 

The  Episcopal  church  retains,  indeed,  the  name 
of  Confirmation  in  its  ritual,  and  even  borrows  a 
portion  of  our  prayers  and  ceremonial.  But,  in 
opposition  to  the  uniform  teaching  of  the  Catholic, 
as  well  as  of  all  the  Oriental  churches,  both  ortho- 
dox and  schismatic,  it  declares  Confirmation  to 
be  a  mere  rite  and  not  a  Sacrament. 

In  violation  of  the  practice  of  all  antiquity  it 
mutilates  the  rite  by  omitting  the  sacred  unction. 
It  retains  the  shadow  without  the  substance. 

It  raises,  indeed,  its  hands  over  the  candidates ; 
but  they  are  not  the  anointed  hands  of  Peter  or 
John,  or  Cyprian  or  Augustine,  to  whom  it  is  said : 
*' Whatsoever  thou  shalt  bless,  let  it  be  blessed; 
whatsoever  thou  shalt  sanctify,  let  it  be  sancti- 
fied."- Their  hands  were  lifted  up  with  authority 
and  clothed  with  supernatural  power;  but  the 
hands  of  the  Episcopal  Bishops  are  spirtually 

'  L.  II.,  coutra  lit.  Petil. 
^  Roman  Pontiflcal, 


286  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

paralyzed  by  the  suicidal  act  of  the  Eeformers, 
and  they  expressly  disclaim  any  sacramental  effi- 
cacy in  the  rite  which  they  administer. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST. 

AMONG-  the  various  dogmas  of  the  Catholic 
Church  there  is  none  which  rests  on  stronger 
Scriptural  authority  than  the  doctrine  of 
the  Real  Presence  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Holy- 
Eucharist.  So  copious,  indeed,  and  so  clear  are 
the  passages  of  the  New  Testament  which  treat 
of  this  subject  that  I  am  at  a  loss  to  determine 
which  to  select,  and  find  it  difficult  to  compress 
them  all  within  the  compass  of  this  short  chapter. 

The  Evangelists  do  not  always  dwell  upon  the 
same  mysteries  of  religion.  Their  practice  is 
rather  to  supplement  each  other,  so  that  one  of 
them  will  mention  what  the  others  have  omitted 
or  have  touched  in  a  cursory  way.  But  in  regard 
to  the  Blessed  Eucharist  the  sacred  writers  ex- 
hibit a  marked  deviation  from  this  rule.  "We  find 
that  the  four  Evangelists,  together  with  St.  Paul, 
have  written  so  explicitly  and  abundantly  on  this 
subject  that  one  of  them  alone  would  be  amply 
sufficient  to  prove  the  dogma  without  taking  them 
collectively. 

These  five  inspired  writers  gave  the  weight  of 
their  individual  testimony  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
Eucharist  because  they  foresaw— or  rather  the 
Holy  Ghost,  speaking  through  them,  foresaw — 
that  this  great  mystery,  which  exacts  so  strong 
an  exercise  of  our  faith,  and  which  bids  us  bow 

287 


288  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

down  our  "understanding  unto  the  obedience  of 
Christ,"^  would  meet  with  opposition  in  the 
course  of  time  from  those  who  would  measure  the 
infallible  AVord  of  God  by  the  erring  standard  of 
their  own  judgment. 

I  shall  select  three  classes  of  arguments  from 
the  New  Testament  which  satisfactorily  demon- 
strate the  Real  Presence  of  Christ  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  The  first  of  these  texts  speaks  of  the 
promise  of  the  Eucharist,  the  second  of  its  insti- 
tution and  the  third  of  its  use  among  the  faithful. 

To  begin  with  the  words  of  the  promise.  While 
Jesus  was  once  preaching  near  the  coast  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee  He  was  followed,  as  usual,  by  an 
immense  multitude  of  persons,  who  were  attracted 
to  Him  by  the  miracles  which  He  wrought  and  the 
words  of  salvation  which  he  spoke.  Seeing  that 
the  people  had  no  food,  He  multiplied  five  loaves 
and  two  fishes  to  such  an  extent  as  to  supply  the 
wants  of  five  thousand  men,  besides  women  and 
children. 

Our  Lord  considered  the  present  a  favorable 
occasion  for  speaking  of  the  Sacrament  of  His 
body  and  blood,  which  was  to  be  distributed,  not 
to  a  few  thousands,  but  to  millions  of  souls;  not 
in  one  place,  but  everywhere ;  not  at  one  time,  but 
for  all  days,  to  the  end  of  the  world.  "I  am,'*  He 
says  to  His  hearers,  *'the  bread  of  life.  Your 
fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  desert  and  died 
....  I  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down 
from  heaven.  If  any  man  eat  of  this  bread  he 
shall  live  forever,  and  the  bread  which  I  will  give 
is  My  flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world.  The  Jews, 
therefore,  disputed  among  themselves,  saying: 
How  can  this  man  give  us  His  flesh  to  eat?  Then 
Jesus  said  to  them:  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  yous 

»n.  Cor.  X.  5o 


THE  HOLY  EUCHAHIST  289 

tJnIess  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man  and 
drink  His  blood,  ye  shall  not  have  life  in  you.  He 
that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My  blood  hath 
everlasting  life,  and  I  will  raise  him  np  on  the  last 
day.  For  My  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  My  blood 
is  drink  indeed. ' '  ^ 

If  these  words  had  fallen  on  your  ears  for  the 
first  time,  and  if  you  had  been  among  the  number 
of  our  Savior's  hearers  on  that  occasion,  would 
you  not  have  been  irresistibly  led,  by  the  noble  sim- 
plicity of  His  words,  to  understand  Him  as  speak- 
ing truly  of  His  body  and  blood?  For  His  language 
is  not  susceptible  of  any  other  interpretation. 

When  our  Savior  says  to  the  Jews:  **Your 
fathers  did  eat  manna  and  died,  .  .  .  but  he  that 
eateth  this  (Eucharistic)  bread  shall  live  for- 
ever," He  evidently  wishes  to  affirm  the  supe- 
riority of  the  food  which  He  would  give,  over  the 
manna  by  which  the  children  of  Israel  were 
nourished. 

Now,  if  the  Eucharist  were  merely  commemora- 
tive bread  and  wine,  instead  of  being  superior,  it 
would  be  really  inferior  to  the  manna;  for  the 
manna  was  supernatural,  heavenly,  miraculous 
food,  while  bread  and  wine  are  a  natural,  earthly 
food. 

But  the  best  and  the  most  reliable  interpreters 
of  our  Savior's  words  are  certainly  the  multitude 
and  the  disciples  who  are  listening  to  Him.  They 
all  understood  the  import  of  His  language  precise- 
ly as  it  is  explained  by  the  Catholic  Church.  They 
believed  that  our  Lord  spoke  literally  of  His  body 
and  blood.  The  Evangelist  tells  us  that  the  Jews 
"disputed  among  themselves,  saying:  How  can 
this  man  give  us  His  flesh  to  eat?"  Even  His  dis- 
ciples, though  avoiding  the  disrespectful  language 
of  the  multitude,  gave  expression  to  their  doubt  in 

.    *  John  vi.  48-y6. 


290  THE  FAITH  OF  OUH  FATHEKS 

this  milder  form:  "This  saying  is  hard,  and  who 
can  hear  it  I "  ^  So  much  were  they  shocked  at  onr 
Savior's  promise  that  "after  this  many  of  His  dis- 
ciples went  back  and  walked  no  more  with  Him.'*  ^ 
They  evidently  implied,  by  their  words  and  con- 
dnct,  that  they  understood  Jesus  to  have  spoken 
literally  of  His  flesh ;  for,  had  they  interpreted  His 
words  in  a  figurative  sense,  it  would  not  have  been 
a  hard  saying,  nor  have  led  them  to  abandon  their 
Master. 

But,  perhaps,  I  shall  be  told  that  the  disciples 
and  the  Jews  who  heard  our  Savior  may  have  mis- 
interpreted His  meaning  by  taking  His  words  in 
the  literal  acceptation,  while  He  may  have  spoken 
in  a  figurative  sense.  This  objection  is  easilf  dis- 
posed of.  It  sometimes  happened,  indeed,  that 
our  Savior  was  misunderstood  by  His  hearers.  On 
such  occasions  He  always  took  care  to  removes 
from  their  mind  the  wrong  impression  they  had 
formed  by  stating  His  meaning  in  simpler  lan- 
guage. Thus,  for  instance,  having  told  Nicode- 
mus  that  unless  a  man  be  born  again  he  cannot 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  having  observed 
that  His  meaning  was  not  correctly  apprehended 
by  this  disciple  our  Savior  added:  "Unless  a  man 
be  born  again  of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost  he  can- 
not enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven."^  And  again, 
when  he  warned  His  disciples  against  the  leaven 
of  the  Phariisees,  and  finding  that  they  had  taken 
an  erroneous  meaning  from  His  word.  He  imme- 
diately subjoined  that  they  should  beware  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  Pharisees.* 

But  in  the  present  instance  does  our  Savior  alter 
His  language  when  He  finds  His  words  taken  in 
the  literal  sense?    Does  He  tell  His  hearers  that 

*John  yi.  SI.  ''Ibid.  vl.  67. 

•  ;^hn  la,  *  Matt,  xvt 


THE  HOLY  EUCHAKIST  '  S91 

He  lias  spoken  figuratively?  Does  He  soften  the 
tone  of  His  expression?  Far  from  weakening  the 
force  of  His  words  He  repeats  what  He  said  be- 
fore, and  in  language  more  emphatic:  '*Amen, 
amen,  I  say  unto  you,  Unless  ye  eat  the  flesh  of 
the  Son  of  man,  and  drink  His  blood,  ye  shall  not 
have  life  in  you.'' 

When  our  Savior  beheld  the  Jews  and  many  of 
His  disciples  abandoning  Him,  turning  to  the 
chosen  twelve.  He  said  feelingly  to  them:  *'Will 
ye  also  go  away?  And  Simon  Peter  answered 
Him :  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  Thou  hast  the 
words  of  eternal  life. ' '  ^  You,  my  dear  reader, 
must  also  take  your  choice.  Will  you  reply  with 
the  Jews,  or  with  the  disciples  of  little  faith,  or 
with  Peter?  Ah!  let  some  say  with  the  unbeliev- 
ing Jews :  *'How  can  this  man  give  us  His  flesh  to 
eat?"  Let  others  say  with  the  unfaithful  disci^ 
pies:  '^This  is  a  hard  saying.  Wlio  can  hear  it?" 
But  do  you  say  with  Peter:  ''Lord,  to  whom  shall 
we  go?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life." 

So  far  I  have  dwelt  on  the  words  of  the  Promise. 
I  shall  now  proceed  to  the  words  of  the  Listitution, 
which  are  given  in  almost  the  same  expressions  by 
St.  Matthew,  St.  Mark  and  St.  Luke.  In  the  Gos- 
pel according  to  St.  Matthew  we  read  the  follow- 
ing narrative:  "And  while  they  were  at  supper, 
Jesus  took  bread,  and  blessed  and  broke  and  gave 
to  His  disciples  and  said :  Take  ye  and  eat.  This 
is  My  body.  And  taking  the  chalice,  He  gave 
thanks  and  gave  to  them,  saying :  Drink  ye  all  of 
this ;  for  this  is  My  blood  of  the  New  Testament, 
which  shall  be  shed  for  many  unto  remission  of 
sins."  2 

I  beg  you  to  recall  to  mind  the  former  text  rela- 
tive to  the  Promise  and  to  compare  it  with  this. 

» John  vl.  68,  60.  *  Mett  xxvi.  26-24 


293  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

How  admirably  they  fit  together,  like  two  links  ia 
a  chain!  How  faithfully  has  Jesus  fulfilled  the 
Promise  which  He  made !  Could  any  idea  be  ex- 
pressed in  clearer  terms  than  these:  This  is  My 
body;  this  is  My  blood? 

Why  is  the  Catholic  interpretation  of  these 
words  rejected  by  Protestants?  Is  it  because  the 
text  is  in  itself  obscure  and  ambiguous?  By  no 
means;  but  simply  because  they  do  not  compre- 
hend how  God  could  perform  so  stupendous  a 
miracle  as  to  give  His  body  and  blood  for  our 
spiritual  nourishment. 

Is,  then,  the  power  or  the  mercy  of  God  to  be 
measured  by  the  narrow  rule  of  the  human  under- 
standing? Is  the  Almighty  not  permitted  to  do 
anything  except  what  we  can  sanction  by  our  rea- 
son? Is  a  thing  to  be  declared  impossible  because 
we  cannot  see  its  possibility? 

Has  not  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
out  of  nothing  by  the  fiat  of  His  word?  What  a 
mystery  is  this !  Does  He  not  hold  this  world  in 
the  midst  of  space?  Does  He  not  transform  the 
tiny  blade  into  nutritious  grain  ?  Did  He  not  feed 
upwards  of  five  thousand  persons  with  five  loaves 
and  two  fishes?  AVhat  a  mystery!  Did  He  not 
rain  down  manna  from  heaven  for  forty  years  to 
feed  the  children  of  Israel  in  the  desert?  Did  He 
not  change  rivers  into  blood  in  Egypt,  and  water 
into  wine  at  the  wedding  of  Cana?  Does  he  not 
daily  make  devout  souls  the  tabernacles  of  the 
lEEoly  Ghost?  And  shall  we  have  the  hardihood  to 
deny,  in  spite  of  our  Lord's  plain  declaration,  that 
God,  who  works  these  wonders,  is  able  to  change 
bread  and  wine  into  His  body  and  blood  for  the 
food  of  our  souls  ? 

You  tell  me  it  is  a  mystery  above  your  compre- 
hension.   A  mystery,  indeed.    A  religion  that  re- 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  293 

jects  a  revealed  truth  because  it  is  incomprekensi- 
ble  contains  in  itself  the  seeds  of  dissolution  and 
will  end  in  rationalism.  Is  not  everything  around 
us  a  mystery.  Are  we  not  a  mystery  to  ourselves? 
Explain  to  me  how  the  blood  circulates  in  your 
veins,  how  the  soul  animates  and  permeates  the 
whole  body,  how  the  hand  moves  at  the  will  of  the 
soul.  Explain  to  me  the  mystery  of  life  and 
death. 

Is  not  the  Scripture  full  of  incomprehensible 
mysteries?  Do  you  not  belive  in  the  Trinity — a 
mystery  not  only  above,  but  apparently  contrary 
to,  reason?  Do  you  not  admit  the  Incarnation— 
that  the  helpless  infant  in  Bethlehem  was  God?  I 
understand  why  Rationalists,  who  admit  nothing 
above  their  reason,  reject  the  Eeal  Presence;  but 
that  Bible  Christians  should  reject  it  is  to  me  in- 
comprehensible. 

But  do  those  who  reject  the  Catholic  interpreta- 
tion explain  this  text  to  their  own  satisfaction: 
* '  This  is  My  body,  etc  ?  "  Alas  I  here  their  burden 
begins.  Only  a  few  years  after  the  early  Reform- 
ers had  rejected  the  Catholic  doctrine  of  the 
Eucharist  no  fewer  than  one  hundred  meanings 
were  given  to  these  words:  "This  is  My  body." 
It  is  far  easier  to  destroy  than  to  rebuild. 

Let  me  now  offer  you  some  additional  reasons 
in  favor  of  the  Catholic  or  literal  sense.  Accord- 
ing to  a  common  rule  observed  in  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Holy  Scripture,  we  must  always  take 
the  words  in  their  literal  signification,  unless  we 
have  some  special  reason  which  obliges  us  to  ac- 
cept them  in  a  figurative  meaning.  Now,  in  the 
present  instance,  far  from  being  forced  to  employ 
the  words  above  quoted  in  a  figurative  sense,  every 
circumstance  connected  with  the  delivery  of  them 


2'J4  THE  lAITH  OF  OUE  FATHEES 

obliges  us  to  interpret  them  in  their  plain  and 
literal  acceptation. 

To  whom  did  our  Savior  address  these  words? 
At  what  time  and  under  what  circumstances  did 
He  speak?  He  was  addressing  His  few  chosen  dis- 
ciples, to  whom  He  promised  to  speak  in  fu- 
ture, not  in  parables  nor  in  obscure  language,  but 
in  the  words  of  simple  truth.  He  uttered  these 
words  the  night  before  His  Passion.  And  when 
will  a  person  use  plainer  speech  than  at  the  point 
of  death? 

These  words:  ''This  is  My  body;  this  is  My 
blood,"  embodied  a  new  dogma  of  faith  which  all 
were  obliged  to  believe,  and  a  new  law  which  all 
were  obliged  to  practice.  They  were  the  last  will 
and  testament  of  our  blessed  Savior.  What  lan- 
guage should  be  plainer  than  that  which  contains 
an  article  of  faith?  What  words  should  be  more 
free  from  tropes  and  figures  than  those  which  en- 
force a  Divine  law  ?  But,  above  all,  where  will  you 
find  any  words  more  plain  and  unvarnished  than 
those  contained  in  a  last  will? 

Now,  if  we  understand  these  words  in  their 
plain  and  obvious ;  that  is,  in  their  Catholic,  sense, 
no  language  can  be  more  simple  and  intelligible. 
But  if  we  depart  from  the  Catholic  interpretation, 
then  it  is  impossible  to  attach  to  them  any  reason- 
able meaning. 

We  now  arrive  at  the  third  class  of  Scripture 
texts  which  have  reference  to  the  use  or  reception 
of  the  Sacrament  among  the  faithful. 

When  Jesus,  as  you  remember,  instituted  the 
Eucharist  at  His  last  Supper  He  commanded  His 
disciples  and  their  successors  to  renew,  till  the 
end  of  time,  in  remembrance  of  Him,  the  cere- 
mony which  He  performed.  AVhat  I  have  done, 
do  ye  also  "for  a  commemoration  of  Me."  ' 

*Luke  xxii.  19. 


THE  HOLY  E^CHAEIST  295 

W«  have  a  very  satisfactory  means  of  asoer- 
taining  the  Apostolic  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  the 
Eucharist  by  examining  what  the  Apostles  did  in 
commemoration  of  our  Lord.  Did  they  bless  and 
distribute  mere  bread  and  wine  to  the  faithful,  or 
did  they  consecrate,  as  they  believed,  the  body  and 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ?  If  they  professed  to  give 
only  bread  and  wine  in  memory  of  our  Lord's 
Supper,  then  the  Catholic  interpretation  falls  to 
the  ground.  If,  on  the  contrary,  we  find  the 
Apostles  and  their  successors,  from  the  first  to  the 
nineteenth  century,  professing  to  consecrate  and 
dispense  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  and  doing 
80  by  virtue  of  the  command  of  their  Savior,  then 
the  Catholic  interpretation  alone  is  admissible. 

Let  St.  Paul  be  our  first  witness.  Represent  your- 
self as  a  member  of  the  primitive  Christian  con- 
gregation assembled  in  Corinth.  About  eighteen 
years  after  St.  Matthew  wrote  his  Gospel,  a  letter 
is  read  from  the  Apostle  Paul,  in  which  the  follow- 
ing words  occur:  "The  chalice  of  benediction 
which  we  bless,  is  it  not  the  communion  of  the 
blood  of  Christ?  and  the  bread  which  we  break, 
is  it  not  the  partaking  of  the  body  of  the  Lord? 
.  .  .  For,  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  that  which 
also  I  delivered  to  you,  that  the  Lord  Jesus,  on  the 
night  in  which  he  was  betrayed,  took  bread,  and 
giving  thanks,  brake  it,  and  said:  Take  and  eat: 
this  is  My  body  which  shall  be  delivered  for  you. 
This  do  for  the  commemoration  of  Me.  In  like 
manner  also  the  chalice,  after  the  supper,  saying: 
This  cup  is  the  New  Covenant  in  My  blood.  This 
do  ye,  as  often  as  ye  shall  drink,  for  the  commemo- 
ration of  Me.  For,  as  often  as  ye  shall  eat  this 
bread,  and  drink  the  cup,  ye  shall  show  the  death 
of  the  Lord  until  He  come.  Therefore,  whoever 
shall  eat  this  bread,  or  drink  the  chalice  of  the 
Lord  unworthily,  shall  be  auiltv  of  the  bodt/  and  of 


296  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

the  blood  of  the  Lord.  But  let  a  man  prove  him- 
self ;  and  so  let  him  eat  of  that  bread  and  drink  of 
the  chalice.  For,  he  who  eateth  and  drinketh  un- 
worthily, eateth  and  drinketh  judgment  to  himself, 
7tot  discerning  the  body  of  the  Lord."  ^ 

Could  St.  Paul  express  more  clearly  his  belief 
in  the  Real  Presence  than  he  has  done  here?  The 
Apostle  distinctly  affirms  that  the  chalice  and 
bread  which  he  and  his  fellow  Apostles  bless  is  a 
participation  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ.  And 
surely  no  one  could  be  said  to  partake  of  that  di- 
vine food  by  eating  ordinary  bread.  Mark  these 
words  of  the  Apostle:  Whosoever  shall  take  the 
Sacrament  unworthily  ' '  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body 
and  blood  o-f  the  Lord."  What  a  heinous  crime! 
For  these  words  signify  that  he  who  receives  the 
Sacrament  unworthily  shall  be  guilty  of  the  sin  of 
high  treason,  and  of  shedding  the  blood  of  his 
Lord  in  vain.  But  how  could  he  be  guilty  of  a 
crime  so  enormous,  if  he  had  taken  in  the  Eucha- 
rist only  a  particle  of  bread  and  wine.  Would  a 
man  be  accused  of  homicide,  in  this  commonwealth, 
if  he  were  to  offer  violence  to  the  statue  or  paint- 
ing of  the  governor  ?  Certainly  not.  In  like  man- 
ner, St.  Paul  would  not  be  so  unreasonable  as  to 
declare  a  man  guilty  of  trampling  on  the  blood  of 
his  Savior  by  drinking  in  an  unworthy  manner  a 
little  wine  in  memory  of  Him. 

Study  also  these  words:  "He  who  eateth  and 
drinketh  unworthily  eateth  and  drinketh  condem- 
nation to  himself,  not  discerning  the  body  of  the 
Lord."  The  unworthy  receiver  is  condemned  for 
not  recognizing  or  discerning  in  the  Eucharist  the 
body  of  the  Lord.  How  could  he  be  blamed  for 
not  discerning  the  body  of  the  Lord,  if  there  were 
only  bread  and  wine  before  him?  Hence,  if  the 
*  I.  Cor.  X.  16,  and  xi.  23-29. 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  297 

words  of  St.  Paul  are  figuratively  understood,  they 
are  distorted,  forced  and  exaggerated  terms,  with- 
out meaning  or  truth.  But,  if  they  are  taken  liter- 
ally, they  are  full  of  sense  and  of  awful  signifi- 
cance, and  an  eloquent  commentary  on  the  words 
I  have  quoted  from  the  Evangelist. 

The  Fathers  of  the  Church,  without  an  excep- 
tion, re-echo  the  language  of  the  Apostle  of  the 
(ientiles  by  proclaiming  the  Real  Presence  of  our 
Lord  in  the  Eucharist.  I  have  counted  the  names 
of  sixty-three  Fathers  and  eminent  Ecclesiastical 
writers  flourishing  between  the  first  and  sixth  cen- 
tury all  of  whom  proclaim  the  Real  Presence — • 
some  by  explaining  the  mystery,  others  by  thank- 
ing God  for  his  inestimable  gift,  and  others  by  ex- 
horting the  faithful  to  its  worthy  reception.  From 
such  a  host  of  witnesses  I  can  select  here  only  a 
few  at  random. 

St.  Ignatius,  a  disciple  of  St.  Peter,  speaking  of 
a  sect  called  Gnostics,  says :  "They  abstain  from 
the  Eucharist  and  prayer,  because  they  confess 
not  that  the  Eucharist  and  prayer  is  the  flesh  of 
our  Savior  Jesus  Christ. ' ' 

St.  Justin  Martyr,  in  an  apology  to  the  Em- 
peror Antoninus,  writes  in  the  second  century: 
' '  We  do  not  receive  these  things  as  common  bread 
and  drink;  but  as  Jesus  Christ  our  Savior  was 
made  flesh  by  the  word  of  God,  even  so  we  have 
been  taught  that  the  Eucharist  is  both  the  flesh  and 
the  blood  of  the  same  incarnate  Jesus." 

Origen  (third  century)  writes :  "If  thou  wilt  go 
up  with  Christ  to  celebrate  the  Passover,  He  will 
give  to  thee  that  bread  of  benediction.  His  own 
body,  and  will  vouchsafe  to  thee  His  own  blood." 

St.  Cyril,  of  Jerusalem  (fourth  century),  in- 
structing the  Catechumens,  observes:  "He  Him- 
self having  declared,  This  is  My  body,  who  shall 


^98  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

dare  to  doubt  henceforward?  And  He  having 
said,  This  is  My  blood,  who  shall  ever  doubt,  say- 
ing: This  is  not  His  blood?  He  once  at  Cana 
turned  water  into  wine,  which  is  akin  to  blood; 
and  is  He  undeserving  of  belief  when  He  turned 
wine  into  blood?"  He  seems  to  be  arguing  with 
modern  unbelief. 

St.  John  Chrysostom,  who  died  in  the  beginning 
of  the  fifth  century,  preaching  on  the  Eucharist, 
cays :  "If  thou  wert  indeed  incorporeal.  He  would 
have  delivered  to  thee  those  same  incorporeal  gifts 
without  covering.  But  since  the  soul  is  united  to 
the  body.  He  delivers  to  thee  in  things  perceptible 
to  the  senses  the  things  to  be  apprehended  by  the 
understanding.  How  many  nowadays  say:  'Would 
that  they  could  look  upon  His  (Jesus')  form.  His 
figure.  His  raiment,  His  shoes.  Lo!  thou  seest 
Him,  touchest  Him,  eatest  Him.'  " 

St.  Augustine  (fifth  century),  addressing  the 
newly-baptized,  says:  *'I  promised  you  a  dis- 
course wherein  I  would  explain  the  sacrament  of 
the  Lord's  table,  which  sacrament  you  even  now 
behold,  and  of  which  you  were  last  night  made  par- 
takers. You  ought  to  know  what  you  have  re- 
ceived. The  bread  which  you  see  on  the  altar, 
after  being  sanctified  by  the  word  of  God,  is  the 
body  of  Christ.  That  chalice,  after  being  sancti- 
fied by  the  word  of  God,  is  the  blood  of  Christ. ' '  ^ 

But  why  multiply  authorities?  At  the  present 
day  every  Christian  communion  throughout  the 
world,  with  the  sole  exception  of  Protestants,  pro- 
claim its  belief  in  the  Eeal  Presence  of  Christ  in 
the  Sacrament. 

The  Nestorians  and  Eutychians,  who  separated 
from  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  fifth  century,  admit 
the  corporeal  presence  of  our  Lord  in  the  Eucha- 
»"See  Faith  of  Catholics."    Vol.  II. 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  299 

rist.  Such  also  is  the  faith  of  the  Greek  church, 
which  seceded  from  us  a  thousand  years  ago,  of 
the  Present  Russian  church,  of  the  schismatic 
Copts,  the  Syrians,  Chaldeans,  Armenians,  and,  in 
short,  of  all  the  Oriental  sects  no  longer  in  com- 
munion with  the  See  of  Rome. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

COMMUNION  UNDER  ONE  KIND. 

OUR  Savior  gave  communion  under  botii 
forms  of  bread  and  wine  to  His  Apostles 
at  the  last  Supper.  Officiating  Bishops  and 
Priests  are  always  required,  except  on  Good  Fri- 
day, to  communicate  under  both  kinds.  But  even 
the  clergy  of  every  rank,  including  the  Pope,  re- 
ceive only  of  the  consecrated  bread  unless  when 
they  celebrate  Mass. 

The  Church  teaches  that  Christ  is  contained 
whole  and  entire  under  each  species ;  so  that  who- 
ever communicates  under  the  form  of  bread  or  of 
wine  receives  not  a  mutilated  Sacrament  or  a 
divided  Savior,  but  shares  in  the  whole  Sacra- 
ment as  fully  as  if  he  participated  in  both  forms. 
Hence,  the  layman  who  receives  the  consecrated 
Bread  partakes  as  copiously  of  the  body  and  blood 
of  Christ  as  the  officiating  Priest  who  receives 
both  consecrated  elements. 

Our  Lord  says:  ''I  am  the  living  bread  which 
came  down  from  Heaven.  If  any  man  eat  of  this 
bread,  he  shall  live  forever ;  and  the  bread  which  I 
will  give  is  My  flesh,  for  the  life  of  the  world.  .  .  . 
He  that  eateth  Me  the  same  also  shall  live  by  Me. 
He  that  eateth  this  bread  shall  live  forever. ' '  * 

From  this  passage  it  is  evident  that  whoever 
partakes  of  the  form  of  bread  partakes  of  the  liv- 

*  John  vi.  51,  and  seq. 

300 


COMMUNIO^^  UXDER  ONE  KIND  301 

ing  flesh  of  Jesus  Clarist,  which  is  inseparable  from 
His  blood,  and  which,  being  now  in  a  glorious 
state,  cannot  be  divided;  for,  ''Christ  rising  from 
the  dead,  dieth  now  no  more. '  *  ^  Our  Lord,  in  His 
words  quoted,  makes  no  reference  to  the  sacra- 
mental cup,  but  only  to  the  Eucharistic  bread,  to 
which  He  ascribes  all  the  efficacy  which  is  attached 
to  communion  under  both  kinds,  viz.,  union  with 
Him,  spiritual  life,  eternal  salvation. 

St.  Paul,  writing  to  the  Corinthians,  says: 
"Whosoever  shall  eat  this  bread,  or  drink  the 
chalice  of  the  Lord  unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of 
the  body  atid  of  the  blood  of  the  Lord."^  The 
Apostle  here  plainly  declares  that,  by  an  unworthy 
participation  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  under  the 
form  of  either  bread  or  wine,  we  profane  both  the 
body  and  the  blood  of  Christ.  How  could  this  be 
so,  unless  Christ  is  entirely  contained  under  each 
species?  So  forcibly,  indeed,  did  the  Apostle  as- 
sert the  Catholic  doctrine  that  the  Protestant 
translators  have  perverted  the  text  by  rendering 
it :  "  Whosoever  shall  eat  this  bread  and  drink  the 
chalice,"  substituting  and  for  or,  in  contradiction 
to  the  Greek  original,  of  which  the  Catholic  ver- 
sion is  an  exact  translation. 

It  is  also  the  received  doctrine  of  the  Fathers 
that  the  Eucharist  is  contained  in  all  its  integrity 
either  in  the  consecrated  bread  or  in  the  chalice. 
St.  Augustine,  who  may  be  taken  as  a  sample  of 
the  rest,  says  that  "each  one  receives  Christ  the 
Lord  entire  under  each  particle. ' '  ^ 

Luther  himself,  even  after  his  revolt,  was  so 
clearly  convinced  of  this  truth  that  he  was  an  un- 
compromising advocate  of  communion  under  one 
kind.  "If  any  Council,"  he  says,  "should  decree 
or  permit  both  species,  we  would  by  no  means 

*  Rom.  vi.  9.       *  I.  Cor.  xi.  27.        » Aug.  De  consec.  dist 


S03  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

acqulesc* ;  but,  in  spite  of  the  Council  and  it*  stat- 
ute, we  would  use  one  form,  or  neither,  and  never 
both."i 

Leibnitz,  the  eminent  Protestant  divine,  ob- 
serves: "It  cannot  he  denied  that  Christ  is  re- 
ceived entire  by  virtue  of  concomitance,  under  each 
species;  nor  is  His  flesh  separated  from  His 
blood."  2 

As  the  same  virtue  is  contained  in  the  Sacra- 
ment, whether  administered  in  one  or  both  forms, 
the  faithful  gain  nothing  by  receiving  under  both 
kinds,  and  lose  nothing  by  receiving  under  one 
form.  Consequently,  we  nowhere  find  our  Savior 
requiring  the  communion  to  be  administered  to  the 
faithful  under  both  forms;  but  He  has  left  this 
matter  to  be  regulated  by  the  wisdom  and  discre- 
tion of  the  Church,  as  He  has  done  with  regard  to 
^e  manner  of  administering  Baptism. 

Our  Redeemer,  it  is  true,  has  said :  ' '  Drink  ye 
all  of  this."  But  it  should  be  remembered  that 
these  words  were  addressed  not  to  the  people  at 
large,  but  only  to  the  Apostles,  who  alone  were 
also  commanded,  on  the  same  occasion,  to  conse- 
crate His  body  and  blood  in  remembrance  of  Him. 
I^ow  we  have  no  more  right  to  infer  that  the  faith- 
ful are  obliged  to  drink  of  the  cup,  because  the 
Apostles  were  commanded  to  drink  of  it,  than  we 
have  to  suppose  that  the  laity  are  required  or  al- 
lowed to  consecrate  the  bread  and  wine,  because 
the  power  of  doing  so  was  at  the  last  Supper  con- 
ferred on  the  Apostles. 

It  is  true  also  that  our  Lord  said  to  the  people : 
*' Unless  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and 
drink  His  blood,  ye  shall  not  have  life  in  you." 
But  this  command  is  literally  fulfilled  by  the  laity 
when  they  partake  of  the  consecrated  bread,  whi-^.h, 
as  we  have  seen,  r^ontains  Christ  the  Lord  m  all 

*De  formula  Misssc.         'Systema  Theol.,  p.  250. 


COMMU]SnON  UNDER  ONE  KIND         303 

His  integrity.  Hence,  if  our  Savior  has  said: 
"Whoso  eateth  My  flesh,  and  drinketh  My  blood, 
hath  everlasting  life,"  He  has  also  said:  ''The 
bread  which  I  will  give  is  My  flesh,  for  the  life  of 
the  world. ' ' 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  charge  of  withholding 
the  cup  comes  with  very  bad  grace  from  Protest- 
ant teachers,  who  destroy  the  whole  intrinsic  vir- 
tue of  the  Sacrament  by  giving  to  their  fellowers 
nothing  but  bread  and  wine.  The  difference  be- 
tween them  and  us  lies  in  this — that  under  one 
form  we  give  the  substance,  while  they  under  two 
forms  confessedly  give  only  the  shadotv. 

In  examining  the  history  of  the  Church  on  the 
subject  we  find  that  up  to  the  twelfth  century  com- 
munion was  sometimes  distributed  in  one  form, 
sometimes  in  another,  commonly  in  both. 

First — St.  Luke  tells  us  that  the  converts  of 
Jerusalem  "were  persevering  in  the  doctrine  of 
the  Apostles,  and  in  the  communion  of  bread  (as 
the  Eucharist  was  sometimes  familiarly  called), 
and  in  prayer."  ^  Again  he  speaks  of  the  Christian 
disciples  assembled  at  Troas  on  the  Lord's  day, 
"to  break  bread,"  -  We  are  led  to  conclude  from 
these  passages  that  the  Apostles  sometimes  dis- 
tributed the  communion  in  the  form  of  bread 
alone,  as  no  reference  is  made  to  the  cup. 

It  was  certainly  the  custom  to  carry  to  the  sick 
only  the  consecrated  Host.  Surely  if  there  is  any 
period  of  life  when  nothing  should  be  neglected 
which  conduces  to  salvation  it  is  the  time  of  ap- 
proaching death.  Eusebius  tells  us  that  the  aged 
Serapion  received  only  the  Sacred  Bread  at  the 
hands  of  the  Priest.  In  the  iLi/e  of  St.  Ambrose 
we  are  told  that  in  his  last  illness  the  consecrated 
Host  alone  was  given  to  Him. 

»Actsil.  42.  Ubidxx.  7. 


304  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

The  Christians  in  time  of  persecution,  confes- 
sors of  the  faith  confined  in  prison,  travellers  on 
their  jonrney,  soldiers  before  engaging  in  battle 
and  hermits  living  in  the  desert  were  permitted  to 
keep  with  them  and  to  fortify  themselves  with  the 
consecrated  Bread — as  Tertullian,  Cyprian,  Basil, 
Ambrose  and  other  Fathers  of  the  Church  testify. 

Moreover,  the  Mass  of  the  Presanctified,  cele- 
brated in  the  Latin  church  on  Good  Friday  only, 
and  in  the  Greek  church  on  every  day  in  Lent,  ex- 
cept Saturdays  and  Sundays,  the  officiating  Priest 
receives  the  consecrated  Bread  alone.^ 

In  all  these  instances  the  communicants  never 
doubted  that  they  received  the  Lord's  Supper  in 
its  integrity.  Surely  the  conscientious  guides  of 
the  faith  would  sooner  withhold  altogether  the 
Sacred  Host  from  their  flocks  than  permit  them 
to  partake  of  a  mutilated  Sacrament. 

Second — In  the  primitive  days  of  the  Church 
the  Holy  Communion  used  to  be  imparted  to  in- 
fants, but  only  in  the  form  of  wine.  The  Priest 
dipped  his  finger  in  the  consecrated  chalice  and 
gave  it  to  be  sucked  by  the  infant.  This  custom 
prevails  to  this  day  among  the  schismatic  Chris- 
tians of  all  Oriental  rites.  In  some  instances  the 
Sacred  Host,  saturated  in  the  cup,  is  given  to  the 
child.2 

Third — Public  Communion  was,  indeed,  usually 
administered  in  the  first  ages  under  both  forms. 
The  faithful,  however,  had  the  privilege  of  dis- 
fcensing  with  the  cup  and  of  partaking  only  of  the 
bread  until  the  time  of  Pope  Gelasius,  in  the  fifth 
century,  when  this  general,  but  hitherto  optional, 
practice  of  receiving  under  both  kinds  was  en- 
forced as  a  law  for  the  following  reason : 

The  Manichean  sect  abstained  from  the  cup  on 

*  Alzog's  Hist,  Vol.  I.,  p.  721.  *  Denziger,  Rit.  Orientaleft. 


COMMUNION  UNDEE  ONE  KIND  305 

the  erroneous  assumption  that  the  use  of  wine  was 
sinful.  Pope  Gelasius,  in  order  to  detect  and  con- 
demn the  error  of  those  sectaries,  left  it  no  longer 
optional  with  the  faithful  to  receive  under  one  or 
both  forms,  but  ordained  that  all  should  communi- 
cate under  both  kinds. 

This  law  continued  in  force  for  several  ages,  but 
towards  the  thirteenth  century,  for  various  causes, 
it  had  gradually  grown  into  disuse,  with  the  tacit 
approval  of  the  Church.  The  Council  of  Con- 
stance, which  convened  in  1414,  established  a  law 
requiring  the  faithful  to  communicate  under  the 
form  of  bread  only;  and  in  taking  this  step,  the 
Council  was  actuated  both  by  reasons  of  propriety 
and  of  religion. 

The  wide-spread  diffusion  of  Christianity 
throughout  the  world  had  rendered  it  very  difficult 
to  supply  all  the  faithful  with  the  consecrated 
wine.  Such  inconvenience  is  scarcely  felt  by  Prot- 
estant communicants,  whose  numbers  are  limited 
and  who  ordinarily  communicate  only  on  certain 
Sundays  of  each  month.  The  Catholics  of  the 
world,  on  the  contrary,  number  about  three  hun- 
dred millions;  and  as  communion  is  adminis- 
tered to  some  of  the  faithful  almost  every  day 
in  most  of  our  churches  and  chapels,  and  as  the 
annual  communions  in  every  parish  church  are 
generally  at  least  twice  as  numerous  as  its  aggre- 
gate Catholic  population,  the  sum  total  of  annual 
communions  throughout  the  globe  may  be  esti- 
mated in  round  numbers  at  not  less  than  five  hun- 
dred millions.  Wliat  effort  would  be  required  to 
procure  altar-wine  for  such  a  multitude?  In  my 
missionary  journeys  through  North  Carolina  I 
have  often  found  it  no  easy  task  to  provide  for  the 
celebration  of  Mass  a  sufficiency  of  pure  wine, 


306  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

wMch  is  essential  for  the  validity  of  the  sacrifice. 
This  embarrassment  would  be  increased  beyond 
measure  if  the  cup  had  to  be  extended  to  the  laity, 
and  still  more  in  the  coal  regions,  where  the  culti- 
vation of  the  grape  is  unknown  and  where  im- 
ported wine  is  exclusively  used.* 

It  would  be  very  distasteful,  besides,  for  so 
many  communicants  to  drink  successively  out  of 
the  same  chalice,  which  would  be  unavoidable  if  the 
Sacrament  were  administered  in  both  forms.  In 
our  larger  churches,  where  communion  is  distrib- 
uted every  Sunday  to  hundreds,  there  would  be 
great  danger  of  spilling  a  portion  of  the  conse- 
crated chalice  and  of  thus  exposing  it  to  profana- 
tion. 

But  above  all,  as  the  Church  in  the  fifth  century, 
through  her  chief  Pastor,  Gelasius,  enforced  the 
use  of  the  cup  to  expose  and  reprobate  the  error 
of  the  Manichees,  who  imagined  that  the  use  of 
wine  was  sinful;  so  in  the  fifteenth  century  she 
withdrew  the  cup  to  condemn  the  novelties  of  the 
Calixtines,  who  taught  that  the  consecrated  wine 
was  necessary  for  a  valid  communion.  Should  cir- 
cumstances ever  justify  or  demand  a  change  from 
the  present  discipline  the  Church  will  not  hesitate 
to  restore  the  cup  to  the  laity. 

^  While  Protestants  consider  the  cup  as  an  indispensable 
part  of  the  communion  service,  they  do  not  seem,  in  many  in- 
stances, to  be  vei-y  particular  as  to  what  the  cup  will  coatain. 
And  the  New  Yorii  Independent,  of  September  21,  1876,  relates 
the  following  incident:  "A  late  Englisk  traveler  found  a  Bap- 
tist mission  church,  in  far-off  Burmah,  using  for  the  com- 
munion service  Bass's  pale  ale  instead  of  wine.  The  open- 
ing of  the  frothing  bottle  ou  the  communion  table  seemed 
not  quite  decorous  to  the  visitor,  who  presented  the  pastor 
with  a  half-dozen  bottles  of  claret  for  sacramental  use." 


CHAPTER  XXIII, 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS. 

SACRIFICE  is  the  oblation  or  offering  made 
to  God  of  some  sensible  object,  with  the  de- 
struction or  change  of  the  object,  to  denote 
that  God  is  the  Author  of  life  and  death.  Thus, 
in  the  Old  Law,  before  the  coming  of  Christ,  when 
the  Hebrew  people  wished  to  offer  sacrifice  to  God 
they  took  a  lamb  or  some  other  animal,  which  they 
slew  and  burned  its  flesh,  acknowledging  by  this 
act  that  the  Lord  was  the  supreme  Master  of  life 
and  death.  The  ancients  offered  to  God  two  kinds 
of  sacrifices,  viz.,  living  creatures,  such  as  bulls, 
lambs  and  birds;  and  inanimate  objects,  such  as 
wheat  and  barley,  and,  in  general,  the  first  fruits 
of  the  earth. 

All  nations — whether  Jews,  idolaters  or  Chris- 
tians, except  Mahometans  and  modern  Protest- 
ants— have  made  sacrifice  their  principal  act  of 
worship.  If  you  go  back  to  the  very  dawn  of  crea- 
tion, you  will  find  the  children  of  Adam  offering 
sacrifices  to  God.  Abel  offered  to  the  Lord  the 
firstlings  of  his  flock,  and  Cain  offered  of  the  fruits 
of  the  earth.* 

When  Noe  and  his  family  are  rescued  from  the 
deluge  which  had  spread  over  the  face  of  the  earth 
his  first  act  on  issuing  from  the  ark,  when  the 
waters  disappear,  is   to  offer  holocausts  to  the 

307 


308  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Lord,  in  thanksgiving  for  his  preservation.*  Abra- 
ham, the  great  father  of  the  Jewish  race,  offered 
victims  to  the  Almighty  at  His  express  command.^ 
We  read  that  Job  was  accustomed  to  offer  holo- 
cansts  to  the  Lord,  to  piopitiate  His  favor  in  be- 
half of  his  children,  and  to  obtain  forgiveness  for 
the  sins  they  might  have  committed.^ 

When  Jehovah  delivered  to  Moses  the  written 
law  on  Mount  Sinai  He  gave  His  servant  the  most 
minute  details  with  regard  to  all  the  ceremonies  to 
be  observed  in  the  sacrijEices  which  were  to  be  of- 
fered to  Him.  Lie  prescribed  the  kind  of  victims 
to  be  immolated,  the  qualifications  of  the  Priests 
who  were  to  minister  at  the  altar,  and  the  place 
and  manner  in  which  the  victims  were  to  be 
offered.  Hence,  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Jewish 
Priests  to  slay  every  day  two  lambs  as  a  sacrifice 
to  God,*  and  in  doing  this  they  were  prefiguring 
the  great  sacrifice  of  the  New  Law,  in  which  we 
daily  offer  up  on  the  altar  ' '  the  Lamb  of  God,  who 
taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world." 

In  a  word,  in  all  their  public  calamities — when- 
ever they  were  threatened  by  their  enemies ;  when- 
ever they  were  about  to  engage  in  war ;  whenever 
they  were  visited  by  any  plague  or  pestilence — the 
Jews  had  recourse  to  God  by  solemn  sacrifices. 
Like  the  Catholic  Church  of  the  present  day,  they 
had  sacrifices  not  only  for  the  living,  but  also  for 
the  dead;  for  we  read  in  Sacred  Scripture  that 
Judas  Machabeus  ordered  sacrifice  to  be  offered 
up  for  the  souls  of  his  men  who  were  slain  in 
battle.^ 

We  find  sacrifices  existing  not  only  among  the 
Jews,  who  worshiped  the  true  God,  but  also 
am.ong  Pagan  and  idolatrous  nationSo 

1  Gen.  viii.  2  ibid.  xv.  3  job.  i.  *  Numb,  xxviii. 

6  II.  Mac.  xii.  43-46. 


THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS  309 

No  matter  how  confused,  imperfect  or  erroneous 
was  their  knowledge  of  the  Deity,  the  Pagan  na- 
tions retained  sufficient  vestiges  of  primitive  tradi- 
tion to  admonish  them  of  their  obligation  of  ap- 
peasing the  anger  and  invoking  the  blessings  of  the 
Divinity  by  victims  and  sacrifices.  Plutarch,  an 
ancient  writer  of  the  second  century,  says  of  these 
heathen  people:  "You  may  find  cities  without 
walls,  without  literature  and  without  the  arts  and 
sciences  of  civilized  life ;  but  you  will  never  find  a 
city  without  Priests  and  altars,  or  which  has  not 
sacrifices  offered  to  the  gods." 

The  Indians  of  our  own  country  were  accus- 
tomed to  offer  sacrifice  to  the  Great  Spirit,  as 
Father  Jogues  and  other  pioneer  missionaries  in- 
form us.  But  all  those  ancient  sacrifices  were  only 
the  types  and  figures  of  the  great  Sacrifice  of  the 
New  Law,  from"  which  they  derived  all  their  effi- 
cacy, just  as  the  Old  Law  itself  was  the  type  of  the 
New  Law  of  grace.  Since  the  ancient  sacrifices 
were  but  figures  and  shadows,  they  were  imperfect 
and  insufficient;  for  "it  is  impossible,"  says  St. 
Paul,  "that  by  the  blood  of  oxen  and  of  goats  sins 
should  be  taken  away.  Wherefore,  when  He 
(Jesus)  cometh  into  the  world.  He  saith:  Sacrifice 
and  oblation  Thou  wouldst  not,  but  a  body  Thou 
bast  fitted  to  me.  Holocausts  for  sin  did  not  pleasf^ 
Thee.  Then  said  I:  Behold,  I  come."  ^  As  if  He 
should  say :  The  blood  of  oxen  and  of  goats  is  not 
sufficient  to  appease  Thy  vengeance,  and  to  cleanse 
Thy  people  from  their  sins ;  therefore  I  come,  that 
I  may  offer  Myself  an  acceptable  sacrifice  for  the 
sins  of  the  world. 

The  Prophet  Isaiah  declared  that  the  Jewish 
sacrifices  had  become  displeasing  to  God  and 
would  be  abolished.   * '  To  what  purpose,  * '  sa;?;«  tha 

*Heb.  X.  4,  7. 


310  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Lord  by  His  prophet,  *'do  you  offer  Me  tlie  multi- 
tude of  your  victims  f  .  .  .  I  desire  not  holocausts 
of  rams,  .  .  .  and  blood  of  calves  and  lambs  and 
buck-goats.  .  .  Offer  sacrifice  no  more  in  vain."  ^ 

But  did  God,  in  rejecting  the  Jewish  oblations, 
intend  to  abolish  sacrifices  altogether?  By  no 
means.  On  the  contrary.  He  clearly  predicts,  by 
the  mouth  of  the  Prophet  Malachias,  that  the  im- 
molations of  the  Jews  would  be  succeeded  by  a 
clean  victim,  which  would  be  offered  up  not  on  a 
single  altar,  as  was  the  case  in  Jerusalem,  but  in 
every  part  of  the  known  world.  Listen  to  the  sig- 
nificant words  addressed  to  the  Jews  by  this 
prophet:  "I  have  no  pleasure  in  you,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  and  I  will  mot  receive  a  gift  of  your 
hand.  For,  from  the  rising  of  the  sun,  even  to  the 
going  down.  My  name  is  great  among  the  Gentiles, 
and  in  every  place  there  is  sacrifice,  and  there  is 
offered  to  My  name  a  clean  oblation ;  for  My  Name 
is  great  among  the  Gentiles,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts."  2  The  prophet  here  clearly  foretells  that 
an  acceptable  oblation  would  be  offered  to  God  not 
by  Jews,  but  by  Gentiles;  not  merely  m  Jerusa- 
lem, but  in  every  place  from  the  rising  to  the 
setting  of  the  sun.  These  prophetic  words  must 
have  been  fulfilled.  Where  shall  we  find  the  ful- 
filment of  the  prophecy? 

We  may  divide  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  into 
five  different  classes  of  people,  professing  differ- 
ent forms  of  religion — Pagans,  Jews,  Mohamme- 
dans, Protestants  and  Catholics.  Among  which  of 
these  shall  we  find  the  clean  oblation  of  which  the 
prophet  speaks?  Not  among  the  Pagan  nations; 
for  they  worship  false  gods,  and  consequently  can- 
not have  any  sacrifice  pleasing  to  the  Almighty. 
Not  among  the  Jews ;  for  they  have  ceased  to  sac- 

1  Isaiah  i.  11-13.  2  Mai.  i.  10,  11. 


THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS  311 

rifice  altogether,  and  the  words  of  the  prophet 
apply  not  to  the  Jews,  but  to  the  Gentiles.  Not 
among  the  Mohammedans ;  for  they  also  reject  sac- 
rifices. Not  among  any  of  the  Protestant  sects ;  for 
they  all  distinctly  repudiate  sacrifices.  Therefore, 
it  is  only  in  the  Catholic  Chnrch  that  is  fulfilled 
this  glorious  prophecy ;  for  whithersoever  you  go, 
you  will  find  the  clean  oblation  offered  on  Catholic 
altars.  If  you  travel  from  America  to  Europe,  to 
Oceanica,  to  Africa,  or  Asia,  you  will  see  our 
altars  erected,  and  our  Priests  daily  fulfilling  the 
words  of  the  prophets  by  offering  the  ''clean 
oblation"  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ. 

This  oblation  of  the  New  Law  is  commonly 
called  Mass.  The  word  Mass  is  derived  by  some 
from  the  Hebrew  term  Missach  (Deut.  xvi.),  which 
means  a  free  offering.  Others  derive  it  from  the 
word  Missa,  which  the  Priest  uses  when  he  an- 
nounces to  the  congregation  that  Divine  Service  is 
over.  It  is  an  expression  indelibly  marked  on  our 
English  tongue  from  the  origin  of  our  language, 
and  we  find  it  embodied  in  such  words  as  Candle- 
mas, Michaelmas,  Martin-mas  and  Christmas. 

The  sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  the  consecration  of 
the  bread  and  wine  into  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ,  and  the  oblation  of  this  body  and  blood  to 
God,  by  the  ministry  of  the  Priest,  for  a  perpetual 
memorial  of  Christ's  sacrifice  on  the  cross.  The 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  identical  with  that  of  the 
cross,  both  having  the  same  victim  and  High 
Priest — Jesus  Christ. 

The  only  difference  consists  in  the  manner  of 
the  oblation.  Christ  was  offered  up  on  the  cross 
in  a  bloody  manner,  and  in  the  Mass  He  is  offered 
up  in  an  unbloody  manner.  On  the  cross  He  pur- 
chased our  ransom,  and  in  the  Eucharistic  Sacri- 
fice the  price  of  that  ransom  is  applied  to  ouE 


rA2  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

souls.    Hence,  all  the  efficacy  of  the  Mass  is  de- 
rived from  the  sacrifice  of  Calvary. 

It  was  on  the  night  before  He  suifered  that  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  instituted  the  Sacrifice  of  the 
New  Law.  *' Jesus,"  says  St.  Paul,  'Hhe  night  in 
which  He  was  betrayed  took  bread,  and,  giving 
thanks,  broke  and  said:  Take  ye  and  eat;  this  is 
My  body  which  shall  be  delivered  for  you.  This 
do  for  the  commemoration  of  Me.  In  like  manner 
also  the  chalice,  after  He  had  supped,  saying: 
This  chalice  is  the  new  testatment  in  My  blood. 
This  do  ye,  as  often  as  you  shall  drink,  for  the  com- 
memoration of  Me ;  for  as  often  as  ye  shall  eat  this 
bread,  and  drink  the  chalice,  ye  shall  show  the 
death  of  the  Lord  until  He  come."  * 

From  these  words  we  learn  that  the  principal 
motive  which  our  Savior  had  in  view  in  instituting 
the  Sacrifice  of  the  Altar  was  to  keep  us  in  per- 
petual remembrance  of  His  sufferings  and  death. 
He  wished  that  the  scene  of  Calvary  should  ever  ap- 
pear in  panoramic  view  before  our  eyes,  and  that 
our  heart,  memory  and  intellect  should  be  filled 
with  the  thoughts  of  His  Passion.  He  knew  well 
that  this  would  be  the  best  means  of  winning  our 
love  and  exciting  sorrow  for  sin  in  our  soul; 
therefore.  He  designed  that  in  every  church 
throughout  the  world  an  altar  should  be  erected, 
to  serve  as  a  monument  of  His  mercies  to  His 
people,  as  the  children  of  Israel  erected  a  monu- 
ment, on  crossing  the  Jordan,  to  commemorate 
Hio  mercies  to  His  chosen  people.  The  Mass  is 
truly  the  memorial  service  of  Christ's  Passion. 

In  compliance  with  the  command  of  our  Lord 
the  adorable  Sacrifice  of  the  Altar  has  been  daily 
renewed  in  the  Church,  from  the  death  of  our 

» I.  ^or.  xi.  23-26. 


THE  SACTJiaCE  OP  THE  MASS  313 

Savior  till  the  present  time,  and  will  be  perpet- 
uated till  time  shall  be  no  more. 

In  the  Acts  it  is  said  that  while  Saul  and  others 
were  ministering  (or,  as  the  Greek  text  expresses 
it,  sacrificing)  to  the  Lord,  and  fasting,  the  Holy 
Spirit  said  to  them :  * '  Set  apart  for  Me  Saul  and 
Barnabas."  St.  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  He- 
brews, frequently  alludes  to  the  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass.  "We  have  an  altar,"  he  says,  ''whereof 
they  cannot  eat  who  serve  the  tabernacle. ' '  ^  The 
Apostle  here  plainly  declares  that  the  Christian 
church  has  its  altars  as  well  as  the  Jewish  syna- 
gogue. An  altar  necessarily  supposes  a  sacrifice, 
without  which  it  has  no  meaning.  The  Apostle 
also  observes  that  the  priesthood  of  the  New  Law 
was  substituted  for  that  of  the  Old  Law.^  Now, 
the  principal  office  of  Priests  has  always  been  to 
offer  sacrifice.  Priest  and  sacrifice  are  as  closely 
identified  as  judge  and  court. 

St.  Paul,  after  David,  calls  Jesus  "a  Priest  for- 
ever, according  to  the  order  of  Melchisedech. "  •'' 
He  is  named  a  Priest  because  He  offers  sacrifice; 
a  Priest  forever  because  His  sacrifice  is  perpet- 
ual; according  to  the  order  of  Melchisedech  be- 
cause He  offers  up  consecrated  bread  and  wine, 
which  were  prefigured  by  the  bread  and  wine  of- 
fered bv  "Melchisedech,  the  Priest  of  the  Most 
High  God."  4 

Tradition,  with  its  hundred  tongues,  proclaims 
the  perpetual  oblation  of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass, 
from  the  time  of  the  Apostles  to  our  own  days.  If 
we  consult  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  who  have 
stood  like  faithful  sentinels  on  the  watch-towers  of 
Israel,  guarding  with  a  jealous  eye  the  deposit  of 
faith,  and  who  have  been  the  faithful  witnesses  of 

» Heb.  xiii.  10.  '  Ibid.  vii.  i2.  » Ps.  cix.  4 ;  Heb.  v.  4 

•Gen.  xiv.  18. 


314  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

their  own  times  and  the  recorders  of  the  past ;  if 
we  consult  the  General  Councils,  at  which  were  as- 
sembled the  venerable  hierarchy  of  Christendom, 
they  will  all  tell  us,  with  one  voice,  that  the  Sacri- 
fice of  the  Mass  is  the  centre  of  their  religion  and 
the  acknowledged  institution  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Another  remarkable  evidence  in  favor  of  the 
Divine  institution  of  the  Mass  is  furnished  by  the 
Nestorians  and  Eutychians,  who  separated  from 
the  Catholic  Church  in  the  fifth  century,  and  who 
still  exist  in  Persia  and  in  other  parts  of  the  East, 
as  well  as  by  the  Greek  schismatics,  who  severed 
their  connection  with  the  Church  in  the  ninth  cen- 
tury. All  these  sects,  as  well  as  the  numerous 
others  scattered  over  the  East,  retain  to  this  day 
the  oblation  of  the  Mass  in  their  daily  service.  As 
these  Christian  communities  have  had  no  com- 
munication with  the  Catholic  Church  since  the 
period  of  their  separation  from  her,  they  could 
not,  of  course,  have  borrowed  from  her  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Eucharistic  Sacrifice;  consequently 
they  must  have  received  it  from  the  same  source 
from  which  the  Church  derived  it,  viz.,  from  the 
Apostles  themselves. 

But  of  all  proofs  in  favor  of  the  Apostolic  origin 
of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  the  most  striking  and 
the  most  convincing  is  found  in  the  Liturgies  of 
the  Church.  The  Liturgy  is  the  established  Ritual 
of  the  Church.  It  is  the  collection  of  the  author- 
ized prayers  of  divine  worship.  These  prayers 
are  fixed  and  immovable.  Among  others  we  have 
the  Liturgy  of  Jerusalem,  ascribed  to  the  Apostle 
St.  James;  the  Liturgy  of  Alexandria,  attributed 
to  St.  Mark  the  Evangelist,  and  the  Liturgy  of 
Eome,  referred  to  St.  Peter.  There  are  various 
other  Liturgies  accredited  to  the  Apostles  or  to 
their  immediate  successors.    Now  I  wish  to  call 


THE  SACEIFICE  OF  THE  MASS  315 

your  attention  to  this  remarkable  fact,  that  all 
these  Liturgies,  though  compiled  by  different  per- 
sons, at  different  times,  in  various  places,  and  in 
divers  languages,  contain,  without  exception,  in 
clear  and  precise  language,  the  prayers  to  be  said 
at  the  celebration  of  Mass;  prayers  in  substance 
the  same  as  those  found  in  our  prayer  books  at  the 
Canon  of  the  Mass. 

We  cannot  account  for  this  wonderful  uniform- 
ity except  by  supposing  that  the  doctrine  respect- 
ing the  Mass  was  received  by  the  Apostles  from 
the  common  fountain  of  Christianity — Jesus 
Christ  Himself. 

It  was  such  facts  as  these  that  opened  the  eyes 
of  those  eminent  English  divines  who,  during  the 
present  century,  have  abandoned  heresy  and 
schism  and  rich  preferments  and  who  have  em- 
braced the  Catholic  faith,  though,  by  taking  such  a 
step,  they  had  to  sacrifice  all  that  was  dear  to 
them  on  earth. 

The  following  passages  from  St.  Paul's  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  are  sometimes  urged  as  an  argu- 
ment against  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass:  ''Christ, 
.  .  .  neither  by  the  blood  of  goats,  or  of  calves, 
but  by  His  own  blood,  entered  once  into  the  Holies, 
having  obtained  eternal  redemption."  *'Nor  yet 
that  He  should  offer  Himself  often,  as  the  High 
Priest  entereth  into  the  Holies  every  year. ' '  ^ 
Again:  "Every  Priest  standeth,  indeed,  daily 
ministering,  and  often  offering  the  same  sacrifices, 
which  can  never  take  away  sins,  but  this  Man,  of- 
fering one  sacrifice  for  sin,  forever  sitteth  at  the 
right  hand  of  God. ' '  ^ 

St.  Paul  says  that  Jesus  was  offered  once.  How, 
then,  can  we  offer  Him  daily?  I  answer,  that 
Jesus  was  offered  once  in  a  bloody  manner,  and  it 

»Heb.  Ix.  25.  'Ibid.  x.  11.  12. 


316  THE  FAITH  OF  OUP^  FATHERS 

is  of  this  sacrifice  that  the  Apostle  speaks.  But 
in  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  He  is  offered  up  in  an 
unbloody  manner.  Though  He  is  daily  offered  on 
ten  thousand  altars,  the  Sacrifice  is  the  same  as 
that  of  Calvary,  having  the  same  High  Priest  and 
victim — Jesus  Christ.  The  object  of  St.  Paul  is 
to  contrast  the  Sacrifice  of  the  New  Law,  which 
has  only  one  victim,  with  the  sacrifices  of  the  Old 
Law,  where  the  victims  were  many;  and  to  show 
the  insufficiency  of  the  ancient  sacrifices  and  the 
all-sufficiency  of  the  Sacrifice  of  the  new  dispensa- 
tion. 

But  if  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross  is  all-sufficient 
what  need  then,  you  will  say,  is  there  of  a  com- 
memorative Sacrifice  of  the  Mass?  I  would  ask  a 
Protestant  in  return.  Why  do  you  pray,  and  go  to 
church,  and  why  were  you  baptized,  and  receive 
Communion,  and  the  rite  of  Confirmation!  What 
is  the  use  of  all  these  exercises,  if  the  sacrifice  of 
the  cross  is  all-sufficient?  You  will  tell  me  that  in 
all  these  acts  you  apply  to  yourself  the  merits  of 
Christ's  Passion.  I  will  tell  you,  in  like  manner, 
that  in  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  I  apply  to  myself 
the  merits  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross,  from  which 
the  Mass  derives  all  its  efficacy.  Christ,  indeed,  by 
His  death  made  full  atonement  for  our  sins,  but  He 
has  not  released  us  from  the  obligation  of  co- 
operating with  Him  by  applying  His  merits  to  our 
souls.  What  better  or  more  efficacious  way  can  we 
have  of  participating  in  His  merits  than  by  as- 
sisting at  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Altar,  where  we 
vividly  recall  to  mind  His  sufferings,  where  Cal- 
vary is  represented  before  us,  where  **we  show 
the  death  of  the  Lord  until  He  come,"  and  where 
we  draw  abundantly  to  our  souls  the  fruit  of  His 
Passion  by  drinking  of  the  same  blood  thst  wai 
shed  on  the  cross? 


THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS  317 

In  the  Old  Law  there  were  different  kinds  of 
sacrifices  offered  up  for  different  purposes.  There 
were  sacrifices  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  God 
for  His  benefits,  sacrifices  of  propitiation  to  im- 
plore His  forgiveness  for  the  sins  of  the  people, 
and  sacrifices  of  supplication  to  ask  His  blessing 
and  protection.  The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  fulfils 
all  these  ends.  It  is  a  sacrifice  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving,  a  sacrifice  of  propitiation  and  of 
supplication ;  hence  that  valued  book,  the  '^Follow- 
ing of  Christ,"  says:  ''AYhen  a  Priest  celebrates 
Mass  he  honors  God,  he  rejoices  the  angels,  he 
edifies  the  church,  he  helps  the  living,  he  obtains 
rest  for  the  dead,  and  makes  himself  a  par- 
taker of  all  that  is  good."  To  form  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  efficiency  of  the  Divine  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass  we  have  only  to  bear  in  mind  the  Victim  that 
is  offered — Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God. 

First — The  Mass  is  a  sacrifice  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving.  If  all  human  beings  in  this  world, 
and  all  living  creatures,  and  all  inanimate  objects 
were  collected  and  burned  as  a  holocaust  to  the 
Lord,  they  would  not  confer  as  much  praise  on  the 
Almighty  as  a  single  Eucharistic  sacrifice.  These 
earthly  creatures — how  numerous  and  excellent 
soever— are  finite  and  imperfect;  while  the  offer- 
ing made  in  the  Mass  is  of  infinite  value,  for  it  is 
onr  Lord  Jesus,  the  acceptable  Lamb  without 
blemish,  the  beloved  Son  in  whom  the  Father  is 
well  pleased,  and  who  '4s  always  heard  on  ac- 
count of  His  reverence.  *' 

With  what  awe  and  grateful  love  should  we 
assist  at  this  Sacrifice !  The  angels  were  present 
at  Calvary.  Angels  are  present  also  at  the  Mass. 
If  we  cannot  assist  with  the  seraphic  love  and  rapt 
attention  of  the  angelic  spirits,  let  us  worship,  at 


3]  8  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

least,  with  the  simple  devotion  of  the  shepherds 
of  Bethlehem  and  the  unswerving  faith  of  the 
Magi.  Let  us  offer  to  our  God  the  golden  gift  of 
a  heart  full  of  love  and  the  incense  of  our  praise 
and  adoration,  repeating  often  during  the  holy 
oblation  the  words  of  the  Psalmist :  ' '  The  mercies 
of  the  Lord  I  will  sing  forever." 

Second — The  Mass  is  also  a  sacrifice  of  propi- 
tiation. Jesus  daily  pleads  our  cause  in  this 
Divine  oblation  before  our  Heavenly  Father.  '*If 
any  man  sin,"  says  St.  John,  "we  have  an  Advo- 
cate with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  just;  and 
He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins;  and  not  for 
ours  only,  but  also  for  those  of  the  whole  world."  * 
Hence  the  Priest,  whenever  he  offers  up  the  holy 
sacrifice,  recites  this  prayer  at  the  offertory: 
"Receive,  0  holy  Father,  almighty,  eternal  God, 
this  immaculate  victim  which  I,  Thy  unworthy 
servant,  offer  to  Thee,  my  living  and  true  God,  for 
my  innumerable  sins,  offences  and  negligences,  for 
all  here  present,  and  for  all  the  faithful  living  and 
dead,  that  it  may  avail  me  and  them  to  life  ever- 
lasting." 

Whenever,  therefore,  we  assist  at  Mass  let  us 
unite  with  Jesus  Christ  in  imploring  the  mercy 
of  God  for  our  sins.  Let  us  represent  to  our- 
selves the  Mass  as  another  Calvary,  which  it  is  in 
reality.  Like  Mary,  let  us  stand  in  spirit  beneath 
the  cross,  and  let  our  souls  be  pierced  with  grief 
for  our  transgressions.  Let  us  acknowledge  that 
our  sins  were  the  cause  of  that  agony  and  of  the 
shedding  of  that  precious  blood.  Let  us  follow  in 
mind  and  heart  that  crowd  of  weeping  penitents 
wh©  accompanied  our  Savior  to  Calvary,  striking 
their  breasts,  and  let  us  say:  "Spare,  0  Lord, 
spare  Thy  people."  Or  let  us  repeat  with  the  pub- 

» I.  John  li.  1,  2. 


THE  SACRIFICE  OF  THE  MASS  319 

lican  this  heartfelt  prayer:  "0  God,  be  merciful 
to  me  a  sinner."  At  the  death  of  Jesus  the  sun 
was  darkened,  the  earth  trembled,  the  very  rocks 
were  rent,  as  if  to  show  that  even  inanimate 
nature  sympathized  with  the  sufferings  of  its  God. 
And  should  not  we  tremble  for  our  sins  1  Should 
not  our  hearts,  though  cold  and  hard  as  rocks,  be 
softened  at  the  spectacle  of  our  God  suffering  for 
love  of  us,  and  in  expiation  for  our  offences? 

Third — The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is,  in  fine,  a 
sacrifice  of  supplication:  ''For,  if  the  blood  of 
goats  and  of  oxen,  and  the  ashes  of  a  heifer  being 
sprinkled,  sanctify  such  as  are  defiled  to  the 
cleansing  of  the  flesh,  how  much  more  shall 
the  blood  of  Christ,  who,  through  the  Holy  Ghost, 
offered  himself  without  spot  to  God,  cleanse  our 
conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living 
God?"  ^  If  the  prayers  of  Moses  and  David  and 
the  Patriarchs  were  so  powerful  in  behalf  of 
God's  servants,  what  must  be  the  influence  of 
Jesus'  intercession?  If  the  wounds  of  the  Martyrs 
plead  so  eloquently  for  us,  how  much  more  elo- 
quent is  the  blood  of  Jesus  shed  daily  upon  our 
altars?  His  blood  cries  louder  for  mercy  than 
the  blood  of  Abel  cried  for  vengeance.  If  God 
inclines  His  ear  to  us  miserable  sinners,  how  can 
He  resist  the  pleadings  in  our  behalf  of  the  '  ^  Lamb 
of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world. ' ' 

"Let  us  go,  therefore,  with  confidence  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy  and 
find  grace  in  seasonable  aid."  * 


»Heb.  is.  13,  14.  ■  Heb.  !v.  la 


CHAPTER  XXIV.  - 

THE  USE  OF  RELIGIOUS  CEREMONIES  DICTATED  BY 

RIGHT  REASON— APPROX-^D  BY  ALMIGHTY 

GOD  IN  THE  OLD  LAW— SANCTIONED 

BY  JESUS  CHRIST  IN  THE  NEW. 

BY  EELIGIOUS  ceremonies  we  mean  certain 
expressive    signs    and    actions    which    the 
Church  has  ordained  for  the  worthy  cele- 
bration of  the  Divine  service. 

True  devotion  must  be  interior  and  come  from 
the  heart,  for  "the  true  adorers  shall  adore  the 
Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  For  the  Father 
indeed  seeketh  such  to  worship  Him.  God  is  a 
spirit;  and  they  who  worship  Him  must  worship 
Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. ' '  ^  But  we  are  not  to 
infer  from  this  that  exterior  worship  is  to  be  con- 
temned because  interior  worship  is  prescribed  a& 
essential.  On  the  contrary,  the  rites  and  cere- 
monies enjoined  in  the  worship  of  God  and  the 
adminstration  of  the  Sacraments  are  dictated  by 
right  reason,  are  sanctioned  by  Almighty  God  ii> 
the  Old  Law,  and  by  Christ  and  His  Apostles  m 
the  New. 

The  angels,  being  pure  spirits  without  a  body, 
render  to  God  a  purely  spiritual  worship.  The 
sun,  moon  and  stars  of  the  firmament  pay  Him  a 
kind  of  external  homage.  In  the  Prophet  Daniel 
we  read:  "Sun  and  moon  bless  the  Lordj  .  .  • 
*Jolm  iv.  23,  24 

320 


THE  USE  OF  EELIGIOUS  CEREMOmES     321 

stars  of  heaven  bless  the  Lord,  praise  and  exalt 
Him  above  all  forever. "  ^  "  The  heavens  show 
forth  the  glory  of  God,  the  firmament  announces 
the  work  of  His  hands. '  '^  Man,  by  possessing  a  soul 
of  spiritual  substance,  partakes  of  the  nature  of 
angels,  and  by  possessing  a  body  partakes  of  the 
nature  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  It  is  therefore,  his 
privilege,  as  well  as  his  duty,  to  offer  to  God  the 
twofold  homage  of  body  and  soul ;  in  other  words, 
to  honor  Him  by  internal  and  external  worship. 

Genuine  piety  cannot  long  be  concealed  in  the 
heart  without  manifesting  itself  by  exterior  prac- 
tices of  religion;  hence,  though  interior  and  exte- 
rior worship  are  distinct,  they  cannot  be  separated 
in  the  present  life.  Fire  cannot  burn  without  send- 
ing forth  flame  and  heat.  Neither  can  the  fire  of 
devotion  burn  in  the  soul  without  being  reflected 
on  the  countenance  and  even  in  speech.  It  is  nat- 
ural for  man  to  express  his  sentiments  by  signs  and 
ceremonies,  for  ''from  the  fulness  of  the  heart  the 
mouth  speaketh ; ' '  and  as  fuel  is  necessary  to  keep 
fire  alive,  even  so  the  flame  of  piety  is  nourished 
by  the  outward  forms  of  religion. 

A  devoted  child  will  not  be  content  with  loving 
his  father  in  his  heart,  but  will  manifest  that  love 
by  affectionate  language,  and  by  the  service  of  his 
body,  if  necessary.  So  will  the  child  of  God  show 
his  affection  for  his  heavenly  Father  not  only  by 
interior  devotion,  but  also  by  the  homage  of  his 
body.  ' '  I  beseech  you, ' '  says  the  Apostle, ' '  by  the 
mercy  of  God,  that  you  present  your  bodies,  a  liv- 
ing sacrifice,  holy  pleasing  unto  God,  your  reason- 
able service. '  *  ^ 

1  Dan.  iii.  62,  63.  Though  this  passage  is  omitted  in  the 
Protestant  Bible,  it  is  retained  in  the  Boole  of  Common  Prayer. 

2  Psalm,  xviii.  1.  3  Rom.  xii.  1. 


222  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

The  fruit  of  a  tree  does  not  consist  in  its  bark, 
its  leaves  and  its  branches.  Nevertheless,  you 
never  saw  a  tree  bearing  fruit  unless  when  clothed 
with  bark,  adorned  with  branches  and  covered 
with  leaves.  These  are  necessary  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  fruit.  In  like  manner,  though  the  fruit 
of  piety  does  not  consist  in  exterior  forms,  it  must, 
however,  be  fostered  by  some  outward  observ- 
ances or  it  will  soon  decay.  There  is  as  close  a 
relation  between  devotion  and  ceremonial  as  exists 
between  the  bark  and  the  fruit  of  a  tree. 

The  man  who  daily  bends  his  knee  to  the  Maker, 
who  recites  or  sings  His  praises,  who  devoutly 
makes  the  sign  of  the  cross,  who  assists  without 
constraint  at  the  public  services  of  the  Church, 
who  observes  an  exterior  decorum  in  the  house  of 
God,  who  gives  to  the  needy  according  to  his  means 
and  duly  attends  to  the  other  practices  and  cere- 
monies of  religion,  will  generally  be  one  whose 
heart  is  united  to  God,  and  who  yields  to  Him  a 
ready  obedience.  Show  me,  on  the  contrary,  a  man 
who  habitually  neglects  these  outward  observances 
of  religion  and  charity,  and  I  will  show  you  one  in 
whose  soul  the  fire  of  devotion,  if  not  quite  ex- 
tinguished, at  least  burns  very  faintly. 

The  ceremonies  of  the  Church  not  only  render 
divine  service  more  solemn,  but  also  rivet  our  at- 
tention and  lift  it  up  to  God.  Our  mind  is  so 
active,  so  volatile,  so  full  of  distractions,  our  im- 
agination so  fickle,  that  we  have  need  of  some 
external  objects  on  which  to  &k  our  thoughts. 

Almighty  God  considered  ceremonial  so  in- 
dispensable to  interior  worship  that  we  find  Him 
in  the  Old  Law  prescribing  in  minute  detail  the 
various  rites,  ceremonies  and  ordinances  to  be 
observed  by  the  Jewish  Priests  and  people  in 
their  public  worshij^.     What  is  the  entire  book 


THE  USE  OF  EELIGIOUS  CEBEMOXIES     333 

of  Leviticus  but  an  elaborate  ritual  of  the  Jewish 
church  Not,  indeed,  that  external  rites  are  to  be 
compared  in  merit  with  interior  worship,  but  be- 
cause they  are  as  necessary  for  nourishing  internal 
devotion  as  food  is  necessary  for  our  animal  life. 

Our  Savior,  though  He  came  to  establish  a  more 
spiritual  religion  than  that  of  the  Hebrew  people, 
did  not  discard  the  outward  forms  of  worship.  He 
was  accustomed  to  accompany  His  religious  acts 
by  appropriate  ceremonies. 

In  the  garden  of  Gethsemani  "He  fell  upon  His 
face"  ^  in  humble  supplication. 

Pie  went  in  procession  to  Jerusalem,  accompan- 
ied by  a  great  multitude,  who  sang  Hosanna  to  the 
Son  of  David.^ 

At  the  Last  Supper  He  invoked  a  blessing  on  the 
bread  and  wine,  and  afterward  chanted  a  hymn 
with  His  disciples.^ 

"When  the  deaf  and  dumb  man  was  brought  to 
Him,  before  healing  Him,  He  put  His  fingers  into 
his  ears  and  touched  his  tongue  with  spittle,  ''and, 
looking  up  to  heaven,  He  groaned  and  said: 
Ephpheta,  which  is,  Be  thou  opened."  * 

When  He  imparted  the  Holy  Ghost  to  His  dis- 
ciples. He  breathed  on  them  ^  and  the  same  Apos- 
tles afterward  communicated  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
others  by  laying  hands  on  them.^ 

The  Apostle  St.  James  directs  that  if  any  man 
is  sick  he  shall  call  in  the  Priest,  who  will  anoint 
him  with  oil.'^ 

Now,  are  not  all  these  acts  which  I  have  just 
recorded — the  prostration  and  procession,  the 
prayerful  invocation,  the  chanting  of  a  hymn,  the 
touching  of  the  ears,  the  lifting  up  of  the  eyes  to 

1  Matt,  xxvi,        a  Ibid.  xxi.        3  ibid.  sxvi.        *  Mark  vii. 
6  Johtt  XX.  6  Acts  viiu  1  James  v. 


324  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

heaven,  the  breathing  on  the  Apostles,  the  laying 
on  of  hands  and  the  nnction  of  the  sick — are  not 
all  these  acts  so  many  ceremonies  serving  as  mod- 
els to  those  which  the  Catholic  Church  employs  in 
her  public  worship,  and  in  the  administration  of 
her  Sacraments  ? 

The  ceremonies  now  accompanying  our  public 
worship  are,  indeed,  usually  more  impressive  and 
elaborate  than  those  recorded  of  our  Savior;  but 
it  is  quite  natural  that  the  majesty  of  ceremonial 
should  keep  pace  with  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  Christianity. 

But  where  shall  we  find  a  ritual  so  gorgeous  as 
that  presented  to  us  in  the  Book  of  Revelation, 
which  is  descriptive  of  the  worship  of  God  in  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem!  Angels  with  golden  censers 
stand  before  the  throne,  while  elders  cast  their 
crowns  of  gold  before  the  Lamb  once  slain.  Then 
that  unnumbered  multitude  of  all  nations,  tongues 
and  people,  clothed  in  white  raiment,  bearing  palms 
of  victory.  Virgins,  too,  with  harp  and  canticle, 
follow  near  the  Lamb,  singing  the  new  song  which 
they  alone  can  utter.^ 

How  glorious  the  pageant!  How  elaborate  in 
detail ! 

Surely  there  ought  to  be  some  analogy  and  re- 
semblance, some  proportion  and  harmony  between 
the  public  worship  which  is  paid  to  God  in  the 
Church  militant  on  earth,  and  that  which  is  offered 
to  Him  in  the  Church  triumphant  in  heaven. 

Strange  would  it  be  if  God,  who,  in  the  dispensa- 
tion past  and  that  to  come,  is  seen  delighting  in 
external  majesty,  should  have  deprived  the  Chris- 
tian Church  (the  living  link  between  the  past  and 
the  future)  of  all  external  glory.  ''For,"*'  as  St. 
Paul  says,  ''if  the  ministry  of  condemnation  is 

1  Apocalypse,  passim. 


THE  USE  OF  RELIGIOUS  CEEEMONIES    325 


glory,  much  more  the  ministry  of  justice  abound- 
eth  in  glory."  ^ 

It  is  true  that  God  uttered  this  complaint  against 
the  children  of  Israel :  ' '  This  people  draw  near  Me 
with  their  mouth  and  honor  Me  with  their  lips, 
but  their  heart  is  far  from  Me. "  ^  It  is  also  true 
that  He  was  displeased  with  their  sacrifices  and 
religious  festivals.^  But  He  blamed  them  not  be- 
cause they  praised  Him  with  their  voice,  but  be- 
cause their  hearts  felt  not  what  their  lips  uttered. 
He  rejected  their  sacrifices  because  they  were  not 
accompanied  by  the  more  precious  sacrifice  of  a 
penitent  spirit. 

The  same  Lord  who  declares  that  the  true  adorer 
shall  adore  the  Father  in  spirit  commands  also  that 
public  praise  be  given  to  Him  in  His  holy  temple: 
"'Praise  ye  the  Lord,"  He  says,  *'in  His  holy 
places.  .  .  .  Praise  Him  with  sound  of  trumpet. 
Praise  Him  with  psaltery  and  harp.  Praise  Him 
with  timbrel  and  choir.  Praise  Him  with  strings 
and  organs."* 

If  He  says  in  one  place:  *'Rend  your  hearts  and 
not  your  garments, ' '  ^  immediately  after  He  adds : 
"Blow  the  trumpet  in  Sion,  sanctify  a  fast,  call  a 
solemn  assembly.  Gather  together  the  people, 
sanctify  the  Church.  .  .  .  Between  the  porch  and 
the  altar  the  Priests,  the  Lord's  ministers,  shall 
weep  and  shall  say:  Spare,  0  Lord,  spare  Thy 
people!"^  The  Prophet  first  points  out  the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  interior  sorrow  and  contrition 
of  heart,  and  then  he  insists  on  the  duty  of 
performing  some  acts  of  expiation,  penance 
and  humiliation,  as  you  do  when  you  have  your 

III.  Cor.  iii.  0.  sisaiah  xxix.  13.  3  ibid.  i.  ?^ 

*Ps.  cl.  5  Joel  ii.  13.  6  Ibid.  ii.  15-17. 


535  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHEES 

forehead  marked  with  ashes  on  Ash  Wednesday, 
and  when  you  observe  the  fast  and  abstinence  of 
Lent. 

When  St.  Paul  says  that  though  he  speak  with 
the  tongues  of  angels  and  of  men,  and  distribute 
all  his  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  deliver  his  body 
to  be  burned,  and  have  not  the  love  of  God,  it 
profiteth  him  nothing,^  he  points  out  the  necessity 
of  interior  worship.  And  when  he  says  elsewhere 
that ' '  in  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bend 
of  those  that  are  in  heaven,  on  earth  and  under  the 
earth,  "^  he  shows  us  the  duty  of  exterior  or  cere- 
monial worship. 

When  political  leaders  desire  to  influence  the 
masses  in  their  favor  they  are  not  content  with  ad- 
dressing themselves  to  the  intellect.  They  appeal 
also  to  the  feelings  and  imagination.  They  have 
torchlight  processions,  accompanied  by  soul-stir- 
ring music  discoursing  popular  airs.  They  have 
flags  and  banners  floating  in  the  breeze.  They  have 
public  meetings,  at  which  they  deliver  patriotic 
speeches  to  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people. 

What  these  men  do  for  political  reasons  the 
Church  performs  from  the  higher  motives  of  relig- 
ion. Therefore,  she  has  her  solemn  processions. 
She  has  her  heavenly  music  to  soften  the  heart  and 
raise  it  to  God.  She  consecrates  her  sacred  ban- 
ners, especially  the  cross,  the  banner  of  salvation. 
She  preaches  with  a  hundred  tongues,  speaking 
not  only  to  our  head  and  heart  by  the  Word  of  God, 
but  to  our  feelings  and  imagination  by  her  grand 
and  imposing  ceremonial. 

1 1.  Cor.  xiii.  apiiil.  ii.  10. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

CEREMONIES  OF  THE  MASS-THE  MISSAL-LATIN 

LANGUAGE— LIGHTS— FLOWERS-INCENSE 

—VESTMENTS. 

LET  US  now,  dear  reader,  walk  together  into  a 
Catholic  Church  in  time  to  assist  at  the  late 
Mass,  which  is  the  most  solemn  service  of 
the  Catholic  Liturgy.  Meantime,  I  shall  endeavor 
to  explain  to  you  the  principal  objects  which  at- 
tract your  attention. 

As  we  enter  I  dip  my  fingers  into  a  vase  placed 
at  the  church  door,  and  filled  with  holy  water,  and 
I  make  the  sign  of  the  cross,  praying  at  the  same 
time  to  be  purified  from  all  defilement,  so  that  with 
a  clean  heart  I  may  worship  in  God's  holy  temple. 

The  Church,  through  her  ministers,  blesses 
everything  used  in  her  service ;  for,  St.  Paul  says, 
that  ''Every  creature  of  God  is  good,  .  .  .that  is 
received  with  thanksgiving,  for  it  is  sanctified  by 
the  word  of  God  and  by  prayer."  ^ 

Before  Mass  begins  the  Priest  sprinkles  the  as- 
sembled congregation  with  holy  water,  reciting 
at  the  same  time  these  words  of  the  fiftieth 
Psalm:  "Thou  shalt  sprinkle  me  with  hyssop,  and 
I  shall  be  cleansed;  Thou  shalt  wash  me,  and  I 
shall  be  made  whiter  than  snow. ' ' 

The  practice  of  using  blessed  water  dates  back 

» I.  Tim.  Iv.  4. 

327 


328  THE  FAITH  0¥  OUK  FATHEES 

to  a  very  remote  antiquity,  and  is  alhided  to  by 
several  Fathers  of  the  primitive  Church. 

As  we  advance  up  the  aisle  you  observe 
lying  open  on  the  altar  a  large  book,  which  is 
called  a  Missal,  or  Mass-book,  because  it  contains 
the  prayers  said  at  Mass.  The  office  of  the  Mass 
consists  of  selections  from  the  Old  and  the  New 
Testament,  the  Canon  and  other  appropriate 
prayers.  The  Canon  of  the  Mass  never  varies 
throughout  the  year,  and  descends  to  us  from  the 
first  ages  of  the  Church  with  scarcely  the  addition 
of  a  word.  Nearly  all  the  collects  are  also  very 
old,  many  of  them  dating  back  to  a  period  prior 
to  the  seventh  century.  I  am  acquainted  with  no 
prayers  that  can  compare  with  the  collects  of  the 
Missal  in  earnestness  and  vigor  of  language,  in 
conciseness  of  style  and  unction  of  piety.  It  is 
evident  that  their  authors  were  men  who  felt  what 
they  said  and  were  filled  with  the  spirit  of  God, 
despising  "the  persuasive  words  of  human  wis- 
dom," unlike  so  many  modern  prayer-composers 
whose  rounded  periods  are  directed  rather  to 
tickle  the  ears  of  men  than  to  pierce  the  clouds. 

You  are  probably  familiar  with  the  Episcopal 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  and  have  no  doubt  ad- 
mired its  beautiful  simplicity  of  diction.  But 
perhaps  you  will  be  surprised  when  I  inform  you 
that  this  Prayer-Book  is  for  the  most  part  a 
translation  from  our  Missal. 

Let  us  now  reverently  follow  the  officiating 
Priest  through  the  service  of  the  Mass. 

You  see  him  advance  from  the  sacristy  and 
stand  at  the  foot  of  the  altar,  where  he  makes  an 
humble  confession  of  his  sins  to  God  and  His 
saints.  He  then  ascends  the  altar,  and  nine  times 
the  Divine  clemency  is  invoked  in  the  Kyrie  Elei- 
son,  Christe  Eleison.     He  intones  the  sublime  dox- 


CEPiEMOXIES,  ETC.  329 

ology,  Gloria  in  Excelsis  Deo,  sings  the  collects  of 
the  day,  reads  the  Lesson  or  Epistle  and  chants 
the  Gospel,  after  which  the  sermon  is  usually 
preached.  Next  he  recites  the  Nicene  Creed, 
which  for  upwards  of  fifteen  centuries  has  been 
resounding  in  the  churches  of  Christendom.  Then 
you  perceive  him  making  the  oblation  of  the  bread 
and  wine.  He  washes  the  tips  of  his  fingers,  re- 
citing the  words  of  the  Psalmist :  ''I  will  wash  my 
hands  among  the  innocent  and  will  encompass 
Thy  altar,  0  Lord."  He  is  admonished,  by  this 
ceremony,  to  be  free  from  the  least  stain,  in  view 
of  the  sacred  act  he  is  going  to  perform.  The 
Preface  and  Canon  follow,  including  the  solemn 
words  of  consecration,  during  which  the  bread 
and  wine  are  changed  by  the  power  of  Jesus 
Christ  into  His  body  and  blood.  He  proceeds  with 
other  prayers,  including  the  best  of  all,  the  Our 
Father,  as  far  as  the  Communion,  when  he  par- 
takes of  the  consecrated  Bread  and  chalice,  giving 
the  Holy  Communion  afterward  to  such  as  are 
prepared  to  receive  it.  He  continues  the  Mass, 
gives  his  blessing  to  the  kneeling  congregation, 
and  concludes  with  the  opening  words  of  the  sub- 
lime Gospel  of  St.  John. 

Here  you  have  not  merely  a  number  of  prayers 
strung  together,  but  you  witness  a  scene  which 
rivets  pious  attention  and  warms  the  heart  into 
fervent  devotion.  You  participate  in  an  act  of 
worship  worthy  of  God,  to  whom  it  is  offered. 

But  you  are  anxious  that  I  should  explain  to 
you  the  reason  why  the  Mass  is  said  in  Latin. 
"When  Christianity  was  first  established  the 
Eoman  Empire  ruled  the  destinies  of  the  world. 
Pagan  Eome  had  dominion  over  nearly  all  Eu- 
rope and  large  portions  of  Asia  and  Africa.  The 
Latin  was  the  language  of  the  Empire.     Wher- 


■m  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

ever  the  Roman  standard  was  planted,  there  also 
was  spread  the  Latin  tongue ;  just  as  at  the  pres- 
ent time  the  English  language  is  spoken  wherever 
the  authority  of  Great  Britain  or  of  the  United 
States  is  established. 

The  Church  naturally  adopted  in  her  Liturgy, 
or  public  worship,  the  language  which  she  then 
found  prevailing  among  the  people.  The  Fathers 
of  the  early  Church  generally  wrote  in  the  Latin 
tongue,  which  thus  became  the  depository  of  the 
treasures  of  sacred  literature  in  the  Church. 

In  the  fifth  century  came  the  disruption  of  the 
Eoman  Empire.  New  kingdoms  began  to  be 
formed  in  Europe  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  old  em- 
pire. The  Latin  gradually  ceased  to  be  a  living 
tongue  among  the  people,  and  new  languages  com- 
menced to  spring  up  like  so  many  shoots  from  the 
parent  stock.  The  Church,  however,  retained  in 
her  Liturgy,  and  in  the  administration  of  the 
Sacraments,  the  Latin  language  for  very  wise  rea- 
sons, some  of  which  I  shall  briefly  mention : 

First — The  Catholic  Church  has  always  one  and 
the  same  faith,  the  same  form  of  public  worship, 
the  same  spiritual  government.  As  her  doctrine 
and  liturgy  are  unchangeable,  she  wishes  that  the 
language  of  her  Liturgy  should  be  fixed  and  uni- 
form. "Faith  may  be  called  the  jewel,  and  lan- 
guage is  the  casket  which  contains  it.  So  careful  is 
the  Church  of  preserving  the  jewel  intact  that  she 
will  not  disturb  even  the  casket  in  which  it  is  set. 
Living  tongues,  unlike  a  dead  language,  are  con- 
tinually changing  in  words  and  meaning.  The 
English  language  as  written  four  centuries  ago 
would  be  now  almost  as  unintelligible  to  an  Eng- 
lish reader  as  the  Latin  tongue.  In  an  old  Bible 
published  in  the  fourteenth  century  St.  Paul  calls 


CEREMONIES,  ETC.  331 

himself  the  villain  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  word 
villain  in  those  days  meant  a  servant,  but  the  term 
would  not  be  complimentary  now  to  one  even  less 
holy  than  the  Apostle.  This  is  but  one  instance, 
out  of  many  which  I  might  adduce,  to  show  the 
mutations  which  our  language  has  undergone..  But 
the  Latin,  being  a  dead  language,  is  not  liable  to 
these  changes. 

Second — The  Catholic  Church  is  spread  over  the 
whole  world,  embracing  in  its  fold  children  of  all 
climes  and  nations,  and  peoples  and  tongues  under 
the  sun.  How,  I  ask,  could  the  Bishops  of  these 
various  countries  communicate  with  one  another 
in  council  if  they  had  not  one  language  to  serve  as 
a  common  medium  of  communication?  It  would 
be  simply  impossible.  A  church  that  is  universal 
must  have  a  universal  tongue;  whilst  a  national 
church,  or  a  church  whose  members  speak  one  and 
the  same  language,  and  whose  doctrines  con- 
veniently change  to  suit  the  times,  can  safely  adopt 
the  vernacular  tongue  in  its  liturgy. 

A  few  years  ago  a  Convocation  was  held  in  Eng- 
land, composed  of  British  and  American  Episcopal 
Bishops.  They  had  no  difficulty  in  communicating 
with  one  another  because  all  spoke  their  mother 
tongue.  But  suppose  they  had  representatives 
from  Spain,  France  and  Germany.  The  lips  of 
those  Continental  Bishops  would  be  sealed  because 
they  could  not  speak  to  their  English  brothers; 
their  ears  also  would  be  sealed  because  they  could 
not  comprehend  what  was  said  to  them. 

In  1869,  at  the  Ecumenical  Council  of  the  Vati- 
can, were  assembled  Bishops  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  speaking  all  the  civilized  languages  of 
Christendom.  Had  those  Bishops  no  uniform 
language  to  express  their  thoughts,  public  debates 
and  familiar  conversation  among  them  would  have 


332  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

been  impracticable.  The  Council  Chamber  would 
have  been  a  confused  Babel  of  tongues.  But, 
thanks  to  the  Latin  language,  which  they  all  spoke 
(except  a  few  Orientals),  their  speeches  were  as 
plainly  understood  as  if  each  had  spoken  in  his 
native  dialect. 

Third — Moreover,  the  Bishops  and  Clergy  of 
the  Catholic  Church  are  in  frequent  correspond- 
ence with  the  Holy  See.  This  requires  that  they 
should  communicate  in  one  uniform  language, 
otherwise  the  Pope  would  be  compelled  to  employ 
secretaries  speaking  every  language  in  Christen- 
dom. 

But  if  the  Priest  says  Mass  in  an  unknown 
tongue,  are  not  the  people  therebj^  kept  in  igno- 
rance of  what  he  saj^s,  and  is  not  their  time  wasted 
in  Church?  We  are  forced  to  smile  at  such 
charges,  which  are  flippantly  repeated  from  year 
to  year.  These  assertions  arise  from  a  total  igno- 
rance of  the  Mass.  Many  Protestants  imagine  that 
the  essence  of  public  worship  consists  in  a  sermon. 
Hence,  to  their  minds,  the  primary  duty  of  a  con- 
gregation is  to  listen  to  a  discourse  from  the 
pulpit.  Prayer,  on  the  contrary,  according  to 
Catholic  teaching,  is  the  most  essential  duty  of  a 
congregation,  though  they  are  also  regularly  in- 
structed by  sermons.  Now,  what  is  the  Mass  ?  It 
is  not  a  sermon,  but  it  is  a  sacrifice  of  prayer 
which  the  Priest  offers  up  to  God  for  himself  and 
the  people.  When  the  Priest  says  Mass  he  is 
speaking  not  to  the  people,  but  to  God,  to  whom  all 
languages  are  equally  intelligible. 

The  congregation,  indeed,  could  not  be  expected 
to  hear  the  Priest,  even  if  he  spoke  in  English, 
since  his  face  is  turned  from  them,  and  the  greater 
part  of  what  he  says  is  pronounced  in  an  under- 
^tone.    And  this  was  the  system  of  worship  God 


CEREMONIES,  ETC.  333 

ordained  in  the  ancient  dispensation,  as  we  learn 
from  the  Old  Testament  and  from  the  first  chapter 
of  St.  Luke.  The  Priest  offered  sacrifice  and 
prayed  for  the  people  in  the  sanctuary,  while  they 
prayed  at  a  distance  in  the  court.  In  all  the 
schismatic  churches  of  the  East  the  Priest  in  the 
public  service  prays  not  in  the  vulgar,  but  in  a 
dead  language.  Such,  also,  is  the  practice  in  the 
Jewish  synagogues  at  this  day.  The  Rabbi  reads 
the  prayers  in  Hebrew,  a  language  with  which 
many  of  the  congregation  are  not  familiar. 

But  is  it  true  that  the  people  do  not  understand 
what  the  Priest  says  at  Mass?  Not  at  all.  For, 
by  the  aid  of  an  English  Missal,  or  any  other 
Manual,  they  are  able  to  follow  the  officiating 
clergyman  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
service. 

You  also  observe  lighted  tapers  on  the  altar,  and 
you  desire  to  know  for  what  purpose  they  are 
used. 

In  the  Old  Law  the  Almighty  Himself  ordained 
that  lighted  chandeliers  should  adorn  the  taber- 
nacle.^ Assuredly,  that  cannot  be  improper  in 
the  New  Dispensation  which  God  sanctioned  in  the 
Old. 

The  lights  upon  our  altars  have  both  a  his- 
torical and  a  symbolical  meaning.  In  the  primi- 
tive days  of  the  Church  Christianity  was  not  toler- 
ated by  the  Pagan  world.  The  Christians  were, 
consequently,  obliged  to  assemble  for  public  wor- 
ship in  the  Catacombs  of  Rome  and  other  secret 
places.  These  Catacombs,  or  subterranean  rooms, 
still  exist,  and  are  objects  of  deep  interest  to  the 
pious  stranger  visiting  the  Eternal  City.  As  these 
hidden  apartments  did  not  admit  the  light  of  the 
sun,  the  faithful  were  obliged  to  have  lights  even 
*  Exod.  XXV.  31,  and  seq. 


334  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

in  open  day.  In  commemoration  of  the  event  the 
Church  has  retained  the  use  of  lights  on  her  altars. 

Lighted  candles  have  also  a  symbolical  meaning. 
They  represent  our  Savior,  who  is  "the  light  of 
th^  world,"  "who  enlighteneth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world,"  without  whom  we  should 
be  wandering  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of 
death. 

They  also  serve  to  remind  us  to  "let  our  light 
so  shine  before  men  (by  our  good  example)  that 
they  may  see  our  good  works  and  glorify  our 
Father  who  is  in  heaven. ' ' 

Lights  are  used,  too,  as  a  sign  of  spiritual  joy. 
St.  Jerome,  who  lived  in  the  fourth  century,  re- 
marks : ''  Throughout  all  the  Churches  of  the  East, 
before  the  reading  of  the  Gospel,  candles  are 
lighted  at  mid-day,  not  to  dispel  darkness,  but  as 
a  sign  of  joy." 

You  also  noticed  the  Priest  incensing  the  altar. 
Incense  is  a  striking  emblem  of  prayer,  which 
should  ascend  to  heaven  from  hearts  burning  with 
love,  just  as  the  fragrant  smoke  ascends  from  the 
censer.  "Let  my  prayer,''  says  the  Royal 
Prophet,  ''ascend  like  incense  in  Thy  sight."  ^ 
God  enjoined  in  the  Old  Law  the  use  of  incense: 
"Aaron  shall  burn  sweet-smelling  incense  upon  the 
altar  in  the  morning. ' '  ^  Hence  we  see  the  Priest 
Zachariah  "offer  incense  on  going  into  the  temple 
of  the  Lord.  And  all  the  multitude  were  praying 
without  at  the  hour  of  incense. ' '  ^ 

You  perceive  that  the  altar  is  decorated  today 
with  vases  and  flowers  because  this  is  a  festival  of 
the  Church.  There  is  one  spot  on  earth  which 
can  never  be  too  richly  adorned,  and  that  is  the 
sanctuary  in  which  our  Lord  vouchsafes  to  dwell 
among  us.    Nothing  is  too  good,  nothing  too  beau- 

«P8.  cxl.  'ExQd.  XXX,  7.  "hvke  I  9,  10. 


CEREMONIES,  ETC.  335 

tifiil,  nothing  too  precious  for  God.  He  gives  ns 
all  ^^e  possess,  and  the  least  we  can  do  in  return 
is  to  ornament  that  spot  which  He  has  chosen  for 
His  abode  upon  earth.  The  Almighty,  it  is  true, 
has  no  need  of  our  gifts.  He  is  rich  without  them. 
*'The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  fulness  thereof." 
Nevertheless,  He  is  pleased  to  accept  our  offerings 
when  they  are  bestowed  upon  Him  as  a  mark  of 
our  affection,  just  as  a  father  joyfully  receives 
from  his  child  a  present  bought  with  his  own 
means.  Our  Savior  gratefully  accepted  the 
treasures  of  the  Magi,  tliough  he  could  have  done 
without  such  gifts.  Some  persons,  when  they  see 
our  sanctuary  sumptuously  decorated,  will  ex- 
claim: Would  it  not  have  been  better  to  give  to 
the  poor  the  money  spent  in  purchasing  these 
things'?  So  complained  Judas  (though  caring  not 
for  the  poor  ^ )  when  Mary  poured  from  an  alabas- 
ter vase  the  precious  ointment  on  the  feet  of  an 
approving  Savior.  Why  should  not  we  imitate 
Mary  by  placing  at  His  feet,  around  His  sanctu- 
ary, our  vases  with  their  chaste  and  fragrant 
flowers,  that  the  Church  may  be  filled  with  their 
perfume,  as  Simon 's  house  was  filled  with  the  odor 
of  the  ointment  ? 

Does  not  the  Almighty  at  certain  seasons  adorn 
with  lilies  and  flowers  of  every  hue  this  earth, 
which  is  the  great  temple  of  nature?  And  what 
is  more  appropriate  than  that  we  should  on  special 
occasions  embellish  our  sanctuary,  the  place  which 
He  has  chosen  for  His  habitation  among  us?  It 
is  sweet  to  snatch  from  the  field  its  fairest  treas- 
ures wherewith  to  beautify  the  temple  made  with 
hands. 

The  sacred  vestments  which  you  saw  worn  by 
the  officiating  Priest  must  have  struck  you  as  very 

^  John  xiJ,  e. 


336  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

antique  and  out  of  fashion.  Nor  is  this  surpris- 
ing, for  if  you  saw  a  lady  enter  church  today  with 
a  head-dress  such  as  worn  in  the  days  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  her  appearance  would  look  to  you  very 
singular.  Now,  our  priestly  vestments  are  far 
older  in  style  than  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth; 
much  older  even  than  the  British  Empire.  Euse- 
bius  and  other  writers  of  the  fourth  century  speak 
of  them  as  already  existing  in  their  times.  It  is 
no  wonder,  therefore,  that  these  vestments  look 
odd  to  the  unfamiliar  eye. 

In  the  Old  Law  God  prescribed  to  the  Priests 
the  vestments  which  they  should  wear  while  en- 
gaged in  their  sacred  office:  "And  these  shall  be 
the  vestments  which  they  shall  make  (for  the 
Priest) :  a  rational  and  an  ephod,  a  tunic  and  a 
straight  linen  garment,  a  mitre  and  a  girdle.  They 
shall  make  the  holy  vestments  for  thy  brother 
Aaron  and  his  sons,  that  they  may  do  the  office  of 
priesthood  unto  Me."^  Guided  by  Heaven,  the 
Church  also  prescribes  sacred  garments  for  her 
ministering  Priests ;  for  it  is  eminently  proper  and 
becoming  that  the  minister  of  God,  while  engaged 
in  the  sacred  mysteries,  should  be  arrayed  in  gar- 
ments which  would  constantly  impress  upon  him 
his  sacred  character  and  remind  him,  as  well  as 
the  congregation,  of  the  sublime  functions  he  is 
performing. 

The  vestments  worn  by  the  Priest  while  cele- 
brating Mass  are  an  amict,  or  white  cloth  around 
the  neck ;  an  alb,  or  white  gai-ment  reaching  to  his 
ankles,  and  bound  around  his  waist  by  a  cincture; 
a  maniple  suspended  from  his  left  arm;  a  stole, 
which  is  placed  over  his  shoulders  and  crossed  at 
the  breast ;  and  a  chasuble,  or  large  outer  garment. 

The  chasuble,  stole  and  maniple  vary  in  color 

*  Exod.  xxviii.  4. 


CEEEMONIES,  ETC.  dd'i 

accoramg  to  the  occasion.  Thus,  white  vestments 
are  used  at  Christmas,  Easter  and  other  festivals 
of  joy,  also  on  feasts  of  Confessors  and  Virgins ; 
red  are  used  at  Pentecost  and  on  festivals  of  Apos- 
tles and  Martyrs;  green  from  T'rinity  Sunday  to 
Advent,  on  days  having  no  special  feast;  purple 
during  Lent  and  Advent,  and  blach  in  Masses  for 
the  dead. 

One  more  word  on  this  subject.  Only  a  few 
years  ago  the  whole  Protestant  world  was  united 
in  denouncing  the  use  of  floral  decorations  on  our 
altars,  incense,  sacred  vestments,  and  even  the 
altar  itself,  as  abominations  of  Popery.  But  of 
late  a  better  spirit  has  taken  possession  of  a  re- 
spectable portion  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church.  After  having  exhausted  their  wrath 
against  our  vestments,  and  vilified  them  as  the 
rags  of  the  wicked  woman  of  Babylon,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Ritualistic  church  have,  with  remark- 
able dexterity,  passed  from  one  extreme  to  the 
other.  They  don  our  vestments,  they  swing  our 
censer,  erect  altars  in  their  churches  and  adorn 
them  with  flowers  and  candle-sticks. 

These  Ritualists  are,  however,  easily  discerned 
from  the  true  Priest.  Should  one  of  them  ever 
appear  before  the  Father  of  the  faithful  in  these 
ill-fitting  robes  the  venerable  Pontiff  would  ex- 
claim, with  the  Patriarch  of  old:  ''The  voice  in- 
deed is  the  voice  of  Jacob,  but  the  hands  are  the 
hands  of  Esau."  I  feel  the  garment  of  the  Priest, 
but  I  hear  the  voice  of  the  parson. 

God  grant  that,  as  our  misguided  brothers  have 
assumed  our  sacerdotal  garments,  they  may  adopt 
our  faith,  that  their  speech  may  conform  to  their 
dress.  Then,  having  laid  aside  their  earthly 
stoles,  may  they  deserve,  like  all  faithful  Priests, 
to  be  seen  ''standing  before  the  throne,  and  in 


338  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

sight  of  the  Lamb,  with  white  stoles  and  palms  in 
their  hands,  .  .  .  saying:  ''Salvation  to  our  God, 
who  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb."  * 


''ApoG.  vil.  9,  m 


CHAPTER  XXVf. 

THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE. 

I. 

THE  DIVINE  INSTITUTION  OF  THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PEN- 
ANCE  THE    POWER    OF    FORGIVING    SINS   LEFT 

BY  CHRIST  TO  HIS  CHURCH THE  NECES- 
SITY AND  ADVANTAGES  OF  CONFESSION. 

THE  whole  history  of  Jesus  Christ  is  marked 
by  mercy  and  compassion  for  suffering  hu- 
manity. From  the  moment  of  His  incarna- 
tion till  the  hour  of  His  death  every  thought  and 
word  and  act  of  His  Divine  life  was  directed  to- 
ward the  alleviation  of  the  ills  and  miseries  of 
fallen  man. 

As  scon  as  He  enters  on  His  public  career  Ra 
goes  about  doing  good  to  all  men.  He  gives  sight 
to  the  blind,  hearing  to  the  deaf,  vigOT  to  paralyzed 
limbs;  He  applies  the  salve  of  comfort  to  the 
bleeding  heart  and  raises  the  dead  to  life. 

But,  while  Jesus  occupied  Himself  in  bringing 
relief  to  corporal  infirmities,  ihe  principal  object 
of  His  mission  was  to  release  the  soul  from,  the 
bonds  of  sin.  The  very  name  of  Jesus  indicates 
this  important  truth:  ''Thou  shalt  call  His  name 
Jesus,"  says  the  angel,  ''for  He  shall  save  Hia 
people  from  their  sins."^ 
»Matt.  1.  21. 

339 


340  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

For,  if  Jesus  had  contented  Himself  with  heal- 
ing the  maladies  of  our  body  without  attending  to 
those  of  our  soul,  He  would  deserve,  indeed,  to  be 
called  our  Physician,  but  would  not  merit  the  more 
endearing  titles  of  Savior  and  Redeemer.  But  as 
sin  was  the  greatest  evil  of  man,  and  as  Jesus 
came  to  remove  from  us  our  greatest  evils.  He 
came  into  the  world  chiefly  as  the  great  Absolver 
from  sin. 

Magdalen  seems  to  have  a  consciousness  of  this. 
She  casts  herself  at  His  feet,  wliich  she  washes 
with  her  tears  and  wii^es  with  her  hair,  while 
Jesus  pronounces  over  her  the  saving  words  of 
absolution.  The  very  demons  recognized  Jesus 
as  the  enemy  of  sin,  for  they  dreaded  His  ap- 
proach, knowing  that  He  would  drive  them  out  of 
the  bodies  of  men. 

Our  Lord  makes  the  healing  of  the  body  second- 
ary to  that  of  the  soul.  When  He  delivers  the 
body  from  its  distempers  His  object  is  to  win  the 
confidence  of  the  spectators  by  compelling  them 
to  recognize  Him  as  the  soul's  Physician.  He 
says,  for  instance,  to  the  palsied  man,  "Thy  sins 
are  forgiven. ' '  ^  The  scribes  are  offended  at  our 
Savior  for  presuming  to  forgive  sins.  He  replies, 
in  substance :  If  you  do  not  believe  My  words,  be- 
lieve My  acts;  and  He  at  once  heals  the  man  of 
his  disease.  After  he  had  cured  the  man  that  had 
been  languishing  for  thirty-eight  years  He  whis- 
pered to  him  this  gentle  admonition, ' '  Sin  no  more, 
lest  some  worst  thing  may  happen  to  thee."  ^ 

As  much  as  our  spiritual  substance  excels  the 
flesh  that  surrounds  it,  so  much  more  did  our 
Savior  value  the  resurrection  of  a  soul  from  the 
grave  of  sin  than  the  resurrection  of  the  body  from 
that  of  death.    Hence  St.  Augustine  pointedly  re- 

=  Matt.  ix.  2.  Mohr  v,  14. 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE  341 

marks  that,  while  the  Gospel  relates  only  three 
resurrections  of  the  body,  our  Lord,  during  His 
mortal  life,  raised  thousands  of  souls  to  the  life 
of  grace. 

As  the  Church  was  established  by  J  esus  Christ 
to  perpetuate  the  work  which  he  had  begun,  it  fol- 
lows that  the  reconciliation  of  sinnersto  God  was 
to  be  the  principal  office  of  sacred  ministers.  ^ 

But  the  important  question  here  presents  itself : 
How  was  man  to  obtain  forgiveness  in  the  Church 
after  our  Lord's  ascension? 

Was  Jesus  Christ  to  appear  in  person  to  every 
sinful  soul  and  say  to  each  penitent,  as  He  said  to 
Magdalen,  "Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee,"  or  did 
He  intend  to  delegate  this  power  of  forgiving  sins 
to  ministers  appointed  for  that  purpose? 

We  know  well  that  our  Savior  never  promised 
to  present  Himself  visibly  to  each  sinner,  nor  has 
He  done  so. 

His  plan,  therefore,  must  have  been  to  appomt 
ministers  of  reconciliation  to  act  in  His  name.  It 
has  always,  indeed,  been  the  practice  of  Almighty 
God,  both  in  the  Old  and  the  New  Law,  to  em- 
power human  agents  to  execute  His  merciful  de- 
signs. 

When  Jehovah  resolved  to  deliver  the  children 
of  Israel  from  the  captivity  of  Egypt  He  ap- 
pointed Moses  their  deliverer.  Wlien  God  wished 
them  to  escape  from  the  pursuit  of  Pharaoh  across 
the  Red  Sea,  did  He  intervene  directly?  No ;  but, 
by  His  instructions,  Moses  raised  his  hand  over 
the  waters  and  they  were  instantly  divided.  ^ 

Wlien  the  people  were  dying  from  thirst  in  the 
desert,  did  God  come  visibly  to  their  rescue?  No ; 
but  Moses  struck  the  rock,  from  which  the  water 
instantly  issued.  When  Paul,  breathing  venge- 
ance against  the  Christians,  was  going  to  Damas- 


842  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

CHS,  did  our  Savior  personally  restore  his  sight, 
convert  and  baptize  him  1  No ;  He  sent  Paul  to 
His  servant  Ananias,  who  restored  his  sight  and 
baptized  him. 

The  same  Apostle  beautifully  describes  to  us  in 
one  sentence  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  the 
arrangement  of  Divine  Providence  in  the  recon- 
ciliation of  sinners :  ''God,"  he  says,  ''hath  recon- 
ciled us  to  Himself  through  Christ,  and  hath  given 
to  lis  the  ministry  of  reconciliation.  .  .  .  For 
Christ,  therefore,  we  are  ambassadors;  God,  as  it 
were,  exhorting  through  us."^  That  is  to  say, 
God  sends  Christ  to  reconcile  sinners;  Christ 
sends  us.  We  are  His  ambassadors,  reconciling 
sinners  in  His  name. 

When  I  think  of  this  tremendous  power  that  we 
possess  I  congratulate  the  members  of  the  Church, 
for  whose  benefit  it  is  conferred ;  I  tremble  for  my- 
self and  my  fellow-ministers,  for  terrible  is  our 
responsibility,  while  we  have  nothing  to  glory  in. 
Christ  is  the  living  Fountain  of  grace:  we  are  but 
the  channels  through  which  it  is  conveyed  to  your 
souls.  Christ  is  the  treasure ;  we  are  but  the  pack- 
horses  that  carry  it.  "We  bear  this  treasure  in 
earthen  vessels."  Christ  is  the  shepherd;  we  are 
the  pipe  He  uses  to  call  His  sheep.  Our  words 
sounding  in  the  confessional  are  but  the  feeble  echo 
of  the  voice  of  the  Spirit  of  God  that  purified  the 
Apostles  in  the  cenacle  of  Jerusalem. 

But  have  we  Gospel  authority  to  show  that  our 
Savior  did  confer  on  the  Apostles  and  their  suc- 
cessors the  power  to  forgive  sins? 

We  have  the  most  positive  testimony,  and  our 
Savior's  words  conferring  this  power  are  ex- 
pressed in  the  plainest  language  which  admits  of 
no  misconception.  In  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew 
our  Savior  thus  addresses  Peter:  "Thou  art 
Peter,  and  on  this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church. 

» II.  Cor.  V.  18-20. 


THE  SACRAMEXT  OF  PENANCE  343 

.  .  .  And  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven,  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind 
on  earth  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven,  and  what- 
soever thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed 
also  in  heaven. ' '  ^ 

And  to  all  the  Apostles  assembled  together  on 
another  occasion  He  uses  the  same  forcible 
language:  "AVhatsoever  you  shall  bind  on  earth 
shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven,  and  whatsoever  you 
shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  also  in 
heaven."  ^  The  soul  is  enchained  by  sin.  I  give 
you  power,  says  our  Lord,  to  release  the  penitent 
soul  from  its  galling  fetters,  and  to  restore  it  to 
the  liberty  of  a  child  of  God. 

In  the  Gospel  of  St.  John  we  have  a  still  more 
striking  declaration  of  the  absolving  power  given 
by  our  Savior  to  His  Apostles. 

Jesus,  after  His  resurrection,  thus  addresses 
His  disciples:  "Peace  be  to  you.  As  the  Father 
hath  sent  Me,  I  also  send  you.  .  .  .  Keceive  ye 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  whose  sins  ye  shall  forgive,  they 
are  forgiven  them,  and  whose  sins  ye  shall  retain, 
they  are  retained. ' '  ^ 

That  peace  which  I  give  to  you  you  will  impart 
to  repentant  souls  as  a  pledge  of  their  reconcilia- 
tion with  God.  The  absolving  power  I  have  from 
My  Father,  the  same  I  communicate  to  you.  Re- 
ceive the  Holy  Ghost,  that  you  may  impart  this 
Holy  Spirit  to  souls  possessed  by  the  spirit  of  evil. 
''If  their  sins  are  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  made  as 
white  as  snow ;  and  if  they  be  red  as  crimson,  they 
shall  be  white  as  wool. "  *  If  they  are  as  numer- 
ous as  the  sands  on  the  seashore,  they  shall  be 
blotted  out,  provided  they  come  to  you  with  con- 
trite hearts.  The  sentence  of  mercy  which  you 
shall  pronounce  on  earth  I  will  ratify  in  heaven. 
1  Matt.  xvi.  18,  19.  2  Matt,  xviii.  18.  3  John  xx.  21-23. 
4  Isaiah  i.  18. 


344  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

From  these  words  of  St.  John  I  draw  three  im- 
portant conclusions : 

It  follows,  first,  that  the  forgiving  power  was 
not  restricted  to  the  Apostles,  but  extended  to 
their  successors  in  the  ministry  unto  all  times  and 
places.  The  forgiveness  of  sin  was  to  continue 
while  sin  lasted  in  the  world ;  and  as  sin^  alas  !  will 
always  be  in  the  world,  so  will  the  remedy  for  sin 
be  always  in  the  Church.  The  medicine  will  co- 
exist with  the  disease.  The  power  which  our  Lord 
gave  the  Apostles  to  preach,  to  baptize,  to  confirm, 
to  ordain,  etc.,  was  transmitted  by  them  to  their 
successors.  Why  not  also  the  power  which  they 
had  received  to  forgive  sins,  since  man's  greatest 
need  is  his  reconciliation  with  God  by  the  forgive- 
ness of  his  offences  ? 

It  follows,  secondly  that  forgiveness  of  sin  was 
ordinarily  to  be  obtained  only  through  the  min- 
istry of  the  Apostles  and  their  successors,  just  as 
it  was  from  them  that  the  people  were  to  receive 
the  word  of  God  and  the  grace  of  Baptism.  The 
pardoning  power  was  a  great  prerogative  con- 
ferred on  the  Apostles.  But  what  kind  of  pre- 
rogative would  it  be  if  people  could  always  obtain 
forgiveness  by  confessing  to  God  secretly  in  their 
rooms?  How  few  would  have  recourse  to  the 
Apostles  if  they  could  obtain  forgiveness  on  easier 
terms !  God  says  to  His  chosen  ministers :  I  give 
you  the  keys  of  My  kingdom,  that  you  may  dis- 
pense the  treasures  of  mercy  to  repenting  sinners. 
But  of  what  use  would  it  be  to  give  the  Apostles 
the  keys  of  God's  treasures  for  the  ransom  of 
sinners,  if  every  sinner  could  obtain  his  ransom 
without  applying  to  the  Apostles  ?  If  I  gave  you, 
dear  reader,  the  keys  of  my  house,  authorizing  you 
to  admit  whom  you  please,  that  they  might  par- 
take of  the  good  things  contained  in  it,  you  would 


THE  SACRAMEXT  OF  PE^^ANCE  345 

conclude  that  I  had  done  you  a  small  favor  if  you 
discovered  that  every  one  was  possesed  of  a  private 
key,  and  could  enter  when  he  pleased  without  con- 
sulting you. 

I  have  said  that  forgiveness  of  sins  is  ordinarily 
to  be  obtained  through  the  ministry  of  the  Apos- 
tles and  of  their  successors,  because  it  may  some- 
times happen  that  the  services  of  God's  minister 
cannot  be  obtained.  A  merciful  Lord  will  not  re- 
quire in  this  conjuncture  more  than  a  hearty  sor- 
row for  sin  joined  with  a  desire  of  having  recourse 
as  soon  as  practicable,  to  the  tribunal  of  Penance; 
for  God's  ordinances  bind  only  such  as  are  able  to 
fulfil  them. 

It  follows,  in  the  third  place,  that  the  power  of 
forgiving  sins,  on  the  part  of  God's  minister,  in- 
volves the  obligation  of  confessing  them  on  the 
part  of  the  sinner.  The  Priest  is  not  empowered 
to  give  absolution  to  every  one  indiscriminately. 
He  must  exercise  the  power  with  judgment  and 
discretion.  He  must  reject  the  impenitent  and 
absolve  the  penitent.  But  how  will  he  judge  of 
the  disposition  of  the  sinner  unless  he  knows  his 
sins,  and  how  will  the  Priest  know  his  sins  unless 
they  are  confessed?  Hence,  we  are  not  surprised 
when  we  read  in  the  Acts  that ' '  Many  of  them  who 
believed  came  confessing  and  declaring  their 
deeds"  ^  to  the  Apostles.  Why  did  they  confess 
their  sins  unless  they  were  bound  to  do  so  ?  Hence, 
also,  we  understand  why  St.  John  says:  **If  we 
confess  our  sins.  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive 
us  our  sins  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  iniquity."  ^ 

The  strength  of  these  texts  of  Scripture  will  ap- 
pear to  you  much  more  forcible  when  you  are  told 
that  all  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  from  the  first 
to  the  last,  insist  upon  the  necessity  of  Sacra- 

*Acts  xlx.  18.  »I.  John  i.  9. 


346  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

mental  Confession  as  a  Divine  institution.  "We 
are  not  nnfrequently  told  by  those  who  are  lit- 
tle acquainted  with  the  doctrine  and  history  of 
the  Church,  that  Sacramental  Confession  was  not 
introduced  into  the  Church  until  1,200  years  after 
the  time  of  our  Savior.  In  vindication  of  their 
bold  assertion  they  even  introduce  quotations  from 
SS.  Basil,  Ambrose,  Augustine,  Jerome  and 
Chrysostom.  These  quotations  are  utterly  ir- 
relevant ;  but,  if  seen  in  the  context,  they  will  tend 
to  prove,  instead  of  disproving,  the  Catholic  doc- 
trine of  Confession.  For  the  sake  of  brevity  I 
shall  cite  only  a  few  passages  from  the  Fathers 
referred  to.  These  citations  I  take,  almost  at 
random,  from  the  copious  writings  of  these 
Fathers  on  Confession.  From  these  extracts  you 
can  judge  of  the  sentiments  of  all  the  Fathers  on 
the  subject  of  Confession.  ^'Ab  uno  disce  omnes." 
St.  Basil  writes:  ''In  the  confession  of  sins  the 
same  method  must  be  observed  as  in  laying  open 
the  infirmities  of  the  bod^  ;  for  as  these  are  not 
rashly  communicated  to  every  one,  but  to  those 
only  who  understand  by  what  method  they  may  be 
cured,  so  the  confession  of  sins  must  be  made  to 
such  persons  as  have  the  power  to  apply  a 
remedy."^  Later  on  he  tells  us  who  those  per- 
sons are.  ''Necessarily,  our  sins  must  be  con- 
fessed to  those  to  whom  has  been  committed  the 
dispensation  of  the  mysteries  of  God,  Thus,  also, 
are  they  found  to  have  acted  who  did  penance  of 
old  in  regard  of  the  saints.  It  is  written  in  the 
Acts,  they  confessed  to  the  Apostles,  by  whom  also 
they  were  baptized."  ^  Two  conclusions  obvi- 
ously follow  from  these  passages  of  St.  Basil: 
First,  the  necessity  of  confession.     Second,  the 

*  In  Reg.  Brev.,  quoest,  ccxxix.,  T.  II.,  p.  492. 
'Ibid.,  cclxxxviii.,  p.  516. 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE  347 

obligation  of  declaring  our  sins  to  a  Priest  to 
whom  in  the  New  Law  is  committed  ''the  dispen- 
sation of  the  mysteries  of  God." 

St.  Ambrose,  of  Milan,  writes:  "The  poison  is 
sin;  the  remedy,  the  accusation  of  one's  crime :  the 
poison  is  iniquity ;  confession  is  the  remedy  of  the 
relapse.  And,  therefore,  it  is  truly  a  remedy 
against  poison,  if  thou  declare  thine  iniquities,  that 
thou  mayest  be  justified.  Art  thou  ashamed? 
This  shame  will  avail  thee  little  at  the  judgment 
seat  of  God."  1 

The  following  passage  clearly  shows  that  the 
great  Light  of  the  Church  of  Milan  is  speaking  of 
confession  to  Priests:  "There  are  some,"  con- 
tinues St.  Ambrose,  "who  ask  for  penance  that 
they  may  at  once  be  restored  to  Communion. 
These  do  not  so  much  desire  to  be  loosed  as  to 
bind  the  Priest;  for  they  do  not  unburden  their 
conscience,  but  they  burden  his,  who  is  commanded 
not  to  give  holy  things  unto  dogs — that  is,  not 
easily  to  admit  impure  souls  to  the  Holy  Com- 
munion. "  - 

Paulinus,  the  secretary  of  St.  Ambrose,  in  his 
life  of  that  great  Bishop  relates  that  he  used  to 
weep  over  the  penitents  whose  confessions  he 
heard. 

St.  Augustine  writes :  * '  Our  merciful  God  wills 
us  to  confess  in  this  world  that  we  may  not  be  con- 
founded in  the  other. ' '  ^  And  again :  "Let  no  one 
say  to  himself,  I  do  penance  to  God  in  private,  I  d© 
it  before  God.  Is  it  then  in  vain  that  Christ  hath 
said,  'Whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall 
be  loosed  in  heaven?"  Is  it  in  vain  that  the  ke^^s 
have  been  given  to  the  Church  ?  Do  we  make  void 
the  Gospel,  void  the  words  of  Christ?"  * 

*  See  Faith  of  Catholics,  Vol.  III.,  p.  74  and  seq. 
'  Apud  Wlseman'.s  Doctrines  of  the  Church. 

*  Horn.  XX.  *  Sermo  cccxcli. 


348  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

In  this  extract  how  well  doth  the  great  Doctor 
meet  the  sophistry  of  those  who,  in  our  times,  say 
that  it  is  sufficient  to  confess  to  God ! 

St.  Chrysostom,  in  his  thirtieth  Homily,  says: 
*'LoI  we  have  now,  at  length,  reached  the  close  of 
Holy  Lent ;  now  especially  we  must  press  forward 
in  the  career  of  fasting,  .  .  .  and  exhibit  a  full  and 
accurate  confession  of  our  sins,  .  .  .  that  with 
these  good  works,  having  come  to  the  day  of  Eas- 
ter, we  may  enjoy  the  bounty  of  the  Lord.  .  .  . 
For,  as  the  enemy  knows  that  having  confessed  our 
sins  and  shown  our  wounds  to  the  physician  we 
attain  to  an  abundant  cure,  he  in  an  especial  man- 
ner opposes  us." 

Again  he  says:  "Do  not  confess  to  me  only 
of  fornication,  nor  of  those  things  that  are  mani- 
fest among  all  men,  but  bring  together  also  thy 
secret  calumnies  and  evil  speakings,  .  .  .  and  all 
such  things."  * 

The  great  Doctor  plainly  enjoins  here  a  detailed 
and  specific  confession  of  our  sins  not  to  God,  but 
to  His  minister,  as  the  whole  context  evidently 
shows. 

The  same  Father,  in  an  eloquent  treatise  on  the 
power  of  the  sacred  ministry,  uses  the  following 
words:  ''To  the  Priests  is  given  a  power  which 
God  would  not  grant  either  to  angels  or  arch- 
angels ;  inasmuch  that  what  the  Priests  do  below 
God  ratifies  above,  and  the  Master  confirms  the 
sentence  of  His  servants.  For,  He  says,  'Whose 
sins  you  shall  retain,  they  are  retained.* 

"What  power,  I  ask,  can  be  greater  than  this? 
The  Father  hath  given  all  power  to  the  Son ;  and  I 
see  all  this  same  power  delivered  to  them  by  God 
the  Son. 

"To  cleanse  the  leprosy  of  the  body,  or  rather  to 

*Tom.  vii.  Comm.  In  Matt 


THE  SACEAMENT  OF  PENANOE         349 

pronounce  it  cleansed,  was  given  to  the  Jewish 
Priests  alone.  But  to  our  Priests  is  granted  the 
powier  not  of  declaring  healed  the  leprosy  of  the 
body,  but  of  absolutely  cleansing,  the  defilements 
of  the  soul.'** 

And  again:  **If  a  sinner,  as  becomes  him,  would 
use  the  aid  of  his  conscience,  and  hasten  to  confess 
his  crimes  and  disclose  his  ulcer  to  hi&-  physician, 
who  may  heal  and  not  reproach,  and  receive 
remedies  f  torn  him ;  if  he  would  speak  to  him  alone, 
without  the  knowledge  of  any  one,  and  with  care 
lay  all  before  him,  easily  would  be  amend  his 
failings ;  for  the  confession  of  sins  is  the  ahsolu- 
Hon  of  crimes,^*  ^ 

St.  Jerome  writes:  **K  the  serpent,  the  devil, 

secretly  bite  a  man  and  thus  infect  him  with  the 

poison  of  sin,  and  this  man  shall  remain  silent, 

and  do  not  penance,  nor  be  willing  to  make  known 

his  wound  to  his  brother  and  master ;  the  master, 

who  has  a  tongue  that  can  heal,  cannot  easily  serve 

him.    For  if  the  ailing  man  be  ashamed  to  open 

his  case  to  the  physician  no  cure  can  be  expected ; 

for  medicine  does.not  cure  that  of  wMch  it  knows 
nothing.'*  3 

Elsewhere  he  says:  <*With  tis  the  Bishop  or 
Priest  binds  or  looses — ^not  them  who  are  merely 
innocent  or  guilty— but  having  heard,  as  Ms  duty^ 
requires,  the  various  qualities  of  sin  he  imder- 
stands  who  should  be  bound  and  who  loosed.*** 

Could  the  Catholic  doctrine  regarding  the  power 
of  the  Priests  and  the  obligation  of  confession  be 
expressed  in  stronger  language  than  thisf 

And  yet  these  are  the  very  Fathers  who  are 
represented  to  be  opposed  to  Sacramental  Confes- 
sion !    With  a  reckless  disregard  of  the  unanimous 

*LIb.  iil.,  De  Sacerdotia  ^bid..  Horn.  X3C 

•Comment  ia  Eccles.  *Comm.  in  Matt 


350  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

voice  of  antiquity  onr  adversaries  have  the  hardi- 
hood to  assert  that  private  or  Sacramental  Con- 
fession was  introduced  at  a  period  subsequent  to 
the  twelfth  century.  They  do  not,  however,  vouch- 
safe to  inform  us  by  what  Pope  or  Bishop  or 
Father  of  the  Church,  or  by  what  Council,  or  in 
what  country,  this  monstrous  innovation  was 
foisted  on  the  Christian  Republic.  ^  Surely,  an  in- 
stitution which,  in  their  estimation,  has  been 
fraught  with  such  dire  calamity  to  Christendom, 
ought  to  have  its  origin  marked  with  more  pre- 
cision. It  is  sometimes  prudent,  however,  not  to 
be  too  particular  in  fixing  dates. 

I  shall  now,  I  trust,  show  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  reader :  First — That  Sacramental  Confession 
was  not  introduced.  Second — That  it  could  not 
have  been  introduced  into  the  Church  since  the 
days  of  the  Apostles,  and  consequently  that  it  is 
Apostolic  in  its  origin. 

That  Confession  was  not  invented  since  the  days 
of  the  Apostles  is  manifest  as  soon  as  we  attempt 
to  fix  the  period  of  its  first  establishment.  Let  us 
go  back,  step,  by  step,  from  the  nineteenth  to  the 
first  century. 

It  had  not  its  origin  in  the  present  century,  as 
everybody  will  admit. 

Nor  did  it  arise  in  the  sixteenth  century,  since 
the  General  Council  of  Trent,  held  in  that^  age, 
speaks  of  it  as  an  established  and  venerable  insti- 
tution and  Luther  says  that  ''auricular  Confes- 
sion, as  now  in  vogue,  is  useful,  nay,  necessary; 
nor  would  I,"  he  adds,  "have  it  abolished,  since  it 
is  the  remedy  of  afflicted  consciences."^  Even 
Henry  VIIL,  before  he  founded  a  new  sect,  wrote 
a  treatise  in  defence  of  the  Sacraments,  including 
Penance  and  Confession. 

»Wb,  de  Capt.  Babyl.  cap  de  Poenit 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PEXANCE  351 

It  was  not  introduced  in  the  thirteenth  century, 
for  the  Fourth  Council  of  Lateran  passed  a  decree 
in  1215  obliging  the  faithful  to  confess  their  sins 
at  least  once  a  year.  This  decree,  of  course,  sup- 
poses Confession  to  be  already  an  established  fact. 

Some  Protestant  writers  fall  into  a  common 
error  in  interpreting  the  decree  of  the  Lateran 
Council  by  saying  ''Sacramental  Confession  was 
never  required  in  the  Church  of  Eome  until  the 
thirteenth  century."  The  Council  simply  pre- 
scribed a  limit  beyond  which  the  faithful  should 
not  defer  their  confession. 

These  writers  seem  incapable  of  distinguishing 
between  a  law  obliging  us  to  a  certain  duty  and  a 
statute  fixing  the  time  for  fulfilling  it.  They  might 
as  well  suppose  that  the  revenue  officer  creates  the 
law  regarding  the  payment  of  taxes  when  he  issues 
a  notice  requiring  the  revenue  to  be  paid  within  a 
given  time. 

Going  back  to  the  ninth  century  we  find  that 
Confession  could  not  have  had  its  rise  then.  It 
was  at  that  period  that  the  Greek  schism  took  its 
rise,  under  the  leadership  of  Photius.  The  Greek 
schismatic  church  has  remained  since  then  a  com- 
munion separate  from  the  Catholic  Church,  having 
no  spiritual  relations  with  us.  Now,  the  Greek 
church  is  as  tenaciously  attached  to  private  Con- 
fession as  we  are. 

For  the  same  reasons  Confession  could  not  date 
its  origin  from  the  fifth  or  fourth  century.  The 
Arians  revolted  from  the  Church  in  the  fourth 
century,  and  the  Nestorians  and  Eutychians  in  the 
fifth.  The  two  last-named  sects  still  exist  in  large 
numbers  in  Persia,  Abyssinia  and  along  the  coast 
of  Malabar,  and  retain  Confession  as  one  of  their 
most  sacred  and  cherished  practices. 

lu  fine,  no  human  agency  could  succeed  in  msti- 


352  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

tuting  Confession  between  the  first  and  fourth  cen- 
tury, for  the  teachings  of  our  Divine  Eedeemer 
and  of  His  disciples  had  made  too  vivid  an  impres- 
sion on  the  Christian  community  to  be  easily  ef- 
faced ;  and  the  worst  enemies  of  the  Church  admit 
that  no  spot  or  wrinkle  had  yet  deformed  her  fair 
visage  in  this,  the  golden  age  of  her  existence. 

These  remarks  suffice  to  convince  us  that  Sacra- 
mental Confession  was  not  instituted  since  the 
time  of  the  Apostles.  I  shall  now  endeavor  to 
prove  to  your  satisfaction  that  its  introduction 
into  the  Church,  since  the  Apostolic  age,  ivas  abso- 
lutely impossible. 

There  are  two  ways  in  which  we  may  suppose 
that  error  might  insinuate  itself  into  the  Church, 
viz. :  suddenly,  or  by  slow  process.  Now,  the  in- 
troduction of  Confession  in  either  of  those  ways 
was  simply  impossible. 

First,  nothing  can  be  more  absurd  than  to  sup- 
pose that  Confession  was  immediately  forced  upon 
the  Christian  world.  For  experience  demonstrates 
with  what  slowness  and  difficulty  men  are  divested 
of  their  religious  impressions,  whether  true  or 
false.  If  such  is  the  case  with  individuals,  how 
ridiculous  would  it  seem  for  whole  nations  to 
adopt  in  a  single  day  some  article  of  belief  which 
they  had  never  admitted  before.  Hence,  we  can- 
not imagine,  without  doing  violence  to  our  good 
sense,  that  all  the  good  people  of  Christendom 
went  to  rest  one  night  ignorant  of  the  Sacrament 
of  Penance,  and  rose  next  morning  firm  believers 
in  the  Catholic  doctrine  of  auricular  Confession. 
As  well  might  we  supose  that  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States  would  retire  to  rest  believing  they 
were  living  under  a  Republic,  and  awake  im- 
pressed with  the  conviction  that  thev  were  under 
the  rule  of  Queen  Victoria. 


THE  SACKAMENT  OF  PENANCE  353 

Nor  is  it  less  absurd  to  suppose  that  the  practice 
wl*  Confession  was  introduced  by  degrees.  How 
can  we  imagine  that  the  Fathers  of  the  Church-^ 
the  Clements, the  Leos,  the  Gregories,the  Chrysos- 
toms,  the  Jeromes,  the  Basils  and  Augustines, 
those  intrepid  High  Priests  of  the  Lord,  who,  in 
every  age,  at  the  risk  of  persecution,  exile  and 
death  have  stood  like  faithful  sentinels  on  the 
watch-towers  of  Israel,  defending  with  sleepless 
eyes  the  outskirts  of  the  city  of  God  from  the 
slightest  attack — how  can  we  imagine,  I  say,  that 
they  would  suffer  the  enemy  of  truth  to  invade  the 
very  sanctuary  of  God's  temple?  If  they  were 
so  vigilant  in  cutting  off  the  least  withered  branch 
of  error,  how  would  they  tamely  submit  to  see  so 
monstrous  an  exotic  engrafted  on  the  fruitful  tree 
of  the  Church? 

What  gives  additional  weight  to  these  remarks 
is  the  reflection  that  Confession  is  not  a  specula- 
tive doctrine,  but  a  doctrine  of  the  most  practical 
kind,  influencing  our  daily  actions,  words  and 
thoughts — a  Sacrament  to  which  thousands  of 
Christians  have  constant  recourse  in  every  part 
of  the  world.  It  is  a  doctrine,  moreover,  hard  to 
flesh  and  blood,  and  which  no  human  power,  even 
if  it  had  the  will,  could  impose  on  the  human  race. 
It  is  only  a  God  that,  in  such  a  case,  could  exact 
the  homage  of  our  assent. 

In  whatever  light,  therefore,  we  view  the  pres- 
ent question — whether  we  consider  the  circum- 
stances of  time,  place,  manner  of  its  introduction 
' — the  same  inevitable  conclusion  stares  us  in  the 
face:  that  Sacramental  confession  is  not  the  in- 
vention of  man,  but  the  institution  of  Jesus  Christ. 

But  the  doctrine  of  priestly  absolution  and  the 
private  confession  of  sins  is  not  confined  to  the 
Roman  Catholic  and  Oriental  schismatic  churches. 
The  same  doctrine  is  also  taught  by  a  large  and 


354  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

influential  portion  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  of  England. 

The  Eev.  C.  S.  Grueber,  a  clergyman  of  the 
Church  of  England,  has  recently  published  a  cat- 
echism in  which  the  absolving  power  of  the  minis- 
ter of  God,  and  the  necessity  and  advantage  of 
confession,  are  plainly  set  forth.  I  will  quote 
from  the  Eev.  gentleman's  book  his  identical 
words : 

Question.    What  do  you  mean  by  absolution? 

Answer.     The  pardon  or  forgiveness  of  sin. 

Q.  By  what  special  ordinance  of  Christ  are 
sins  committed  after  Baptism  to  be  pardoned? 

A.    By  the  sacrament  of  absolution. 

Q.    Who  is  the  minister  of  absolution? 

A.    A  Priest. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  that  a  Priest  can  really  ab- 
solve? 

A.    Yes. 

Q.  In  what  place  of  the  Holy  Scripture  is  it  re- 
corded that  Christ  gave  this  power  to  the  priest- 
hood? 

A.    In  John  xx.  23 ;  see  also  Matt,  xviii.  18. 

Q.  What  does  the  prayer-book  (or  Book  of 
Common  Prayer)  say? 

A.  In  the  office  for  the  ordaining  of  Priests  the 
Bishop  is  directed  to  nay,  "Eeceive  the  Holy 
Ghost  for  the  office  and  work  of  a  Priest  in  the 
Church  of  God.  Whose  sins  thou  dost  forgive, 
they  are  forgiven."  In  the  office  for  the  visita- 
tion of  the  sick  it  is  said,  ' '  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
hath  left  in  His  Church  power  to  absolve  all  sin- 
ners that  truly  repent  and  believe  in  Him."  In 
the  order  for  morning  and  evening  prayer  we  say 
again,  ''Almighty  God  hath  given  power  and  com- 
mandment to  his  miaisters  to  declare  and  pro- 


THE  SACRAMENT  OE  PEXAXCE  355 

nounce  to  His  people,  being  penitent,  the  absolu- 
tion  and  remission  of  their  sins." 

Q.  For  what  purpose  hath  Christ  given  this 
power  to  Priests  to  pronounce  absolution  in  His 
name  ? 

A.  For  the  consolation  of  the  penitent;  the 
quieting  of  his  conscience. 

Q.  What  must  precede  the  absolution  of  the 
penitent  ? 

A.  Confession.  .  .  .  Before  absolution  priv- 
ately given,  confession  must  be  made  to  a  Priest 
privately. 

Q.  In  what  case  does  the  Church  of  England 
order  her  ministers  to  move  people  to  private,  or, 
as  it  is  called,  to  auricular  confession? 

A.  When  they  feel  their  conscience  troubled 
with  any  weighty  matter. 

Q.    What  is  weighty  matter  ? 

A.  Mortal  sin  certainly  is  weighty;  sins  of 
omission  or  commission  of  any  kind  that  press 
upon  the  mind  are  so,  too.  Anything  may  be 
weighty  that  causes  scruple  or  doubtfulness. 

Q.  At  what  times  in  particular  does  the  Church 
so  order  ? 

A.  In  the  time  of  sickness,  and  before  coming 
to  the  Holy  Comninnion. 

Q.  Is  there  any  other  class  of  persons  to  whom 
confession  is  profitable? 

A.  Yes;  to  those  ivho  desire  to  lead  a  saintly 
life.  These,  indeed,  are  the  persons  ivho  most  fre- 
quently resort  to  it. 

Q.  Is  there  any  other  object  in  confession,  be- 
sides the  seeking  absolution  for  past  sin  and  the 
quieting  of  the  penitent's  conscience? 

A.    Yes ;  the  practice  of  confessing  each  single 


356  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

sin  is  a  great  check  upon  the  commission  of  sin 
and  a  preservative  of  purity  of  life.^ 

Here  we  have  the  Divine  institution  of  priestly 
absohition  and  the  necessity  and  advantage  of 
Sacramental  confession  plainly  taught,  not  in  a 
speculative  treatise,  but  in  a  practical  catechism, 
by  a  distinguished  minister  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land; taught  by  a  minister  who  draws  his  salary 
from  the  funds  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church ;  who  preaches  and  administers  in  a  church 
edifice  recognized  as  a  Protestant  Episcopal 
church,  and  who  is  in  strict  communion  with  a 
Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of 
England. 

And  these  doctrines  are  upheld,  not  by  one  emi- 
nent Divine  only,  but  by  hundreds  of  clergymen,  as 
well  as  by  thousands  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
palians of  England. 

What  a  strange  spectacle  to  behold  the  same 
church  teaching  diametrically  opposite  doctrines! 
What  is  orthodox  in  the  diocese  of  Bath  and  AVells 
is  decidely  heterodox  in  the  diocese  of  North  Caro- 
lina. An  ordinance  which  Rev.  Mr.  Grueber  pro- 
claims to  be  of  Divine  faith  is  characterized  by  Rt. 
Kev.  Bishop  Atkinson  -  as  the  invention  of  men. 
What  Dr.  Grueber  inculcates  as  a  most  salutary 
practice  Dr.  Atkinson  anathematizes  as  pernicious 
to  religion.  Confession,  which,  in  the  judgment  of 
the  former,  is  a  great  ''check  upon  the  commission 
of  sin,"  is  stigmatized  by  the  latter  as  an  incentive 
to  sin.  ''Behold  how  good  and  pleasant  it  is  for 
brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity. ' '  ^ 

*  See  "A  Catechism  on  the  Church."  By  the  Rev.  C.  S. 
Grueber,  Hambridge,  Diocese  of  Bath  and  Wells.  London: 
Palmer.  1870. 

^  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Bishop  of  North  Carolina. 

*  Ps.  cxxxii. 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE  357 

Suppose  that  the  venerable  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Bishop  of  North  Carolina,  in  passing  through 
England,  were  invited  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Grueber  to 
preach  in  his  church  in  the  morning,  and  that  the 
Bt.  Rev.  Prelate  chose  for  his  subject  a  sermon 
on  confession ;  anc'  supnse  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Grue- 
ber selected  in  the  evening,  as  the  subject  of  his 
discourse,  the  doctrine  advanced  by  him  in  his 
catechism. 

Let  us  imagine  some  benighted  dissenter  attend- 
ing Mr.  Grueber 's  church  at  the  morning  and  even- 
ing service,  with  the  view  to  being  enlightened  in 
the  teachings  of  the  Protestant  church.  Would 
not  our  dissenter  be  sorely  perplexed,  on  returning 
home  at  night,  as  to  what  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church  really  did  teach? 

Some  Episcopalians  are  pleased  to  admit  that 
confession  may  be  resorted  to  with  spiritual  profit 
in  certain  abnormal  cases — for  instance,  in  time  of 
sickness.  So  that,  in  their  judgment,  a  religious 
observance  which  is  salutary  to  a  sick  man  is 
pernicious  to  him  in  good  health.  For  the  life  of 
me,  I  cannot  see  how  the  circumstances  of  bodily 
health  can  affect  the  moral  character  of  a  religi- 
ous act. 

That  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  or  the  Methodist 
church  should  deny  the  power  of  priestly  absolu- 
tion I  readily  understand,  since  these  churches  dis- 
claim, in  their  confessions  of  faith,  any  such  pre- 
rogative for  their  clergy.  But  I  cannot  well  con- 
ceive why  a  Protestant  Episcopalian  should  repu-. 
diate  the  pardoning  power,  which  is  plainly  as- 
serted in  his  standard  prayer-book. 

Whenever  an  Episcopalian  Bishop  imposea 
hands  on  candidates  for  the  ministry  he  employs 
the  following  words,  which  are  found  in  the  Book 
of  Coromon  Prayer:  "Receive  the  Holy  Ghost  for 


358  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHEKS 

the  office  and  work  of  a  Priest  in  the  Church  of 
God,  now  committed  nnto  thee  by  the  imposition  of 
our  hands.  Whose  sins  thou  dost  forgive,  they 
are  forgiven ;  and  whose  sins  thou  dost  retain,  they 
are  retained. "  ^  If  these  words  do  not  mean  that 
the  minister  receives  by  the  imposition^  of  the 
Bishop's  hands  the  power  of  forgiving  sin,  tiiey 
mean  nothing  at  all.  When  the  Bishop  pronounces 
this  sentence,  either  he  intends  to  convey  this 
power  of  absolution,  or  he  does  not.  If  he  in- 
tended to  confer  this  power,  he  could  not  employ 
more  clear  and  precise  language  to  express  his 
idea;  if  he  did  not  intend  to  confer  this  power, 
then  his  language  is  calculated  to  mislead. 

Just  imagine  that  prelate  addressing  a  candi- 
date for  Holy  Orders,  in  the  morning,  with  the 
words:  ''AVho^e  sins  thou  dost  forgive  they  are 
forgiven ; ' '  and  a/ter  Divine  service  saying  to  th« 
young  minister:  "Eemember,  sir,  you  have  no 
power  to  forgive  sins.  The  words  of  ordination 
are  a  mere  figure  of  speech.'* 

When  a  Catholic  Bishop  ordains  Priests  he  uses 
the  precise  words  which  I  have  quoted,  because 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  borrows  them  from 
our  Pontifical.  But  he  means  exactly  what  he 
says,  viz:  That  the  Priest  receives  through  the 
ministration  of  the  Bishop  the  power  of  forgiving 
sins. 

To  sum  up:  We  have  seen  that  the  Sacrament 
of  Penance  and  absolution  by  the  Priest  is  taught 
in  Scripture,  proclaimed  by  the  Fathers,  upheld 
not  only  by  Eoman  Catholics  throughout  the 
world,  but  also  by  all  the  schismatic  Christians  of 
the  East.  It  is  inculcated  in  those  old  and 
genuine  editions  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
which  have  not  been  enervated  by  being  subjected 

•The  Ordering  of  Priests. 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PE:N'ANCE  359 

to  the  pruning-knif e  in  this  country,  and  the  same 
practice  is  encouraged  by  an  influential  portion  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  England,  and 
I  will  add,  also,  in  the  United  States. 

Again,  some  object  to  priestly  absolution  on  the 
assumption  that  the  exercise  of  such  a  function 
would  be  a  usurjoation  of  an  incommunicable  pre- 
rogative of  God,  who  alone  can  forgive  sins.  This 
was  precisely  the  language  addressed  by  the 
Scribes  to  our  Savior.  They  exclaimed:  *'He 
blasphemeth!  who  can  forgive  sins  but  God 
only?"^  My  answer,  therefore,  will  be  equally 
applicable  to  old  and  modern  objectors.  It  is  not 
blasphemy  for  a  Priest  to  claim  the  power  of  for- 
giving sins,  since  he  acts  as  the  delegate  of  the 
Most  High.  It  would,  indeed,  be  blasphemous  if  a 
Priest  pretended  to  absolve  in  his  own  name  and 
by  virtue  of  his  own  authority.  But  when  the 
Priest  absolves  the  penitent  sinner  he  acts  in  the 
name,  and  by  the  express  authority,  of  Jesus 
Christ ;  for  he  says :  "  I  absolve  thee  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  Let  it  be  understood  once  for  all  that 
the  Priest  arrogates  to  himself  no  Divine  powers. 
He  is  but  a  feeble  voice.  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
operates  sanctity  in  the  soul  of  the  penitent. 

Not  a  few  Protestant  Episcopalians,  I  believe, 
still  admit  that  original  sin  is  washed  away  in  the 
Sacrament  of  Baptism.  If  the  minister  is  not 
guilty  of  blasphemy  in  being  the  instrument  of 
God's  mercy,  in  forgiving  sins  by  Baptism,  how 
can  a  Priest  blaspheme  in  being  the  instrument  of 
Divine  mercy,  in  absolving  sinners  in  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Penance?  The  same  Lord  who  instituted 
Baptism  for  the  remission  of  original  sin  estab- 
lished Penance  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins  com- 

*Mark  ii.  7. 


360  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

mitted  after  Baptism.  Did  not  the  Apostles  exer- 
cise Divine  power  in  raising  dead  bodies  to  life, 
and  in  raising  souls  that  were  dead  to  the  life  of 
grace?  And  yet  no  one  but  Scribes  and  Pharisees 
accused  them  of  usurping  God's  powers.  Cannot 
the  Almighty,  without  derogating  from  His  own 
glory,  give  to  men  in  the  nineteenth  century  priv- 
ileges which  He  accorded  to  them  in  the  first  age 
of  the  Church? 

Far,  then,  from  dishonoring,  we  honor  God  by 
having  recourse  to  the  earthly  physician  whom 
He  has  appointed  for  us,  and,  like  the  multitude 
in  the  Gospel,  we  "glorify  God,  who  hath  given 
such  power  to  men."  ^ 

Others  object  thus:  Why  confess  to  a  Priest, when 
you  may  confess  to  God  in  secret.  I  will  retort  by 
asking,  why  do  you  build  fine  temples  when  you  can 
worship  God  in  the  great  temple  of  nature?  Why 
pray  in  church  when  you  can  pray  in  your  cham- 
ber? Why  listen  to  a  minister  expounding  the 
Word  of  God  when  you  can  read  the  Gospel  at  your 
leisure  at  home.  You  answer  that  the  Lord  author- 
izes these  things.  So  does  He  authorize  priestly 
absolution.  This  objection  is  not  new.  Itisveryold. 

St.  Augustine,  who  lived  fourteen  hundred  years 
ago, will  answer  the  objectionforme:  "Let  no  one," 
remarks  this  illustrious  Doctor,  "say  to  himself, 
I  do  penance  to  God  in  private ;  I  do  it  before  God. 
Is  it,  then,  in  vain  that  Christ  has  said :  'Whatso- 
ever ye  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in 
heaven'?  Is  it  in  vain  that  the  keys  have  been 
given  to  the  Church  ? ' '  The  question  for  us  is  not 
what  God  is  able  to  do,  but  what  He  has  willed  to 
do.  God  might  have  adopted  other  means  for  the 
justification  of  the  sinner,  as  He  might  have 
created  a  world  different  from  the  present  one. 
But  it  is  our  business  to  take  our  Father  at  His 
word,  and  to  have  recourse  with  gratitude  to  the 

» Matt.  ix.  8. 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE  361 

system  He  has  actually  established  for  our  justi- 
fication. Now,  we  are  assured  by  His  infallible 
word  that  it  is  by  having  recourse  to  His  conse- 
crated ministers  that  our  sins  will  be  forgiven  us.^ 
It  is  related  in  the  Book  of  Kings  that  Naa- 
man,  the  SjTian,  was  afflicted  with  a  grievous 
leprosy,  which  baffled  the  skill  of  the  physicians  of 
his  country.  He  had  in  his  household  a  Jewish 
maid-servant.  She  spoke  to  her  master  of  the 
great  prophet  Eliseus,  who  lived  in  her  native 
country,  to  whom  the  Lord  had  given  the  power  of 
performing  miracles.  She  besought  her  master  to 
consult  the  prophet.  Naaman,  accordingly,  set 
out  for  the  country  of  Israel  and  begged  Eliseus  to 
heal  him.  The  prophet  told  him  to  go  and  wash 
seven  times  in  the  Jordan ;  but  Naaman,  instead  of 
doing  as  he  was  directed,  became  very  angry,  and 
said:  *'I  thought  he  would  have  come  out  to  me, 
.  .  .  and  touched  with  his  hand  the  place  of  the 
leprosy,  and  healed  me.  Are  not  the  Abana  and 
the  Pharfar  rivers  of  Damascus,  better  than  all 
the  waters  of  Israel,  that  I  may  wash  in  them,  and 
be  made  clean?"  ^  But  the  servants  of  Naaman 
remonstrated  with  him,  and  besought  him  to  com- 
ply with  the  prophet's  injunction,  telling  him  that 
the  conditions  were  easy  and  the  Jordan  was  at 
hand.  Naaman  went  and  washed  and  was 
cleansed.  Our  opponents,  like  Naaman,  cry  out? 
*'Why  should  you  go  to  a  Priest,  a  sinner  like  your- 
self, when  secretly,  in  j^our  own  room,  you  can  ap- 
proach God,  the  pure  fountain  of  grace,  to  be 
washed  from  your  sins  I"  I  answer,  because 
Jesus  Christ,  a  prophet,  and  more  than  a  prophet, 
has  commanded  you  to  do  so. 

The  last  charge  that  I  will  notice  is  the  most 
serious  and  the  most  offensive.    We  are  told  that 

*John  XX.  'IV.  Kings  v. 


362  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

private  confession  is  lawless;  that  the  conscience 
soon  becomes ''enfeebled  and  chained  and  starved" 
by  it,  and,  worse  and  worse,  that  sins  are  more 
readily  committed,  if  followed  by  an  absolution 
conveying  pardon — in  other  words,  that  the  more 
attached  Catholics  are  to  the  practice  of  their  holy 
religion  the  more  depraved  and  corrupt  they  be- 
come. Or,  if  they  remain  faithful  to  God,  this 
is  not  by  reason  of,  but  in  spite  of,  their  religious 
exercises. 

Surely,  this  was  not  the  sentiment  of  the  late 
Dr.  Ives,  once  Protestant  Bishop  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  of  many  other  illustrious  converts,  who, 
from  the  day  of  their  conversion  to  the  hour  of 
their  death  never  failed  to  receive  consolation  and 
strength  from  the  sacred  tribunal. 

Nor  is  it  the  sentiment  of  Eev.  Father  Lyman, 
a  Catholic  Priest,  of  Baltimore,  and  brother  of  the 
assistant  Protestant  Bishop  of  North  Carolina, 
nor  of  the  present  Archbishops  of  Baltimore  and 
Philadelphia,  of  the  Bishops  of  Wilmington,  Cleve- 
land, Columbus  and  Ogdensburg,  and  a  host  of 
others,  both  of  the  Protestant  clergy  and  laity,  who 
within  the  last  fifty  years  have  entered  the  Catho- 
lic Church. 

If  we  compare  the  Protestant  and  Catholic  sys 
tems  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  the  Catholic  sys- 
tem will  not  suffer  by  the  comparison.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Protestant  system,  repentance  is  neces- 
sary and  sufficient  for  justification.  The  Catholic 
system  also  requires  repentance  on  the  part  of  the 
sinner  as  an  indispensable  prerequisite  for  the  for- 
giveness of  sin.  But  it  requires  much  more  than 
this.  Before  the  penitent  receives  absolution  he 
must  carefully  examine  his  conscience  and  confess 
his  sins,  according  to  their  number  and  kind.  He 
is  obliged  to  have  a  firm  purpose  of  amendment,  to 


THE  SACRAMEXT  OF  PEXAXCE  363 

promise  restitution,  if  he  has  defrauded  his  neigh- 
bor, to  repair  any  injury  done  his  neighbor  *s 
character,  to  be  reconciled  with  his  enemies  and  to 
avoid  the  occasions  of  sin.  Do  not  these  obliga- 
tions  afford  a  better  safeguard  against  a  relapse 
into  sin  than  a  simple  internal  act  of  contrition? 

Many  most  eminent  Protestant,  and  even  infidel 
writers,  who  were  conversant  with  the  practical 
workings  of  the  confessional  in  the  countries  in 
which  they  lived,  bear  testimony  to  the  moral 
reformation  produced  by  it.  The  famous  German 
philosopher,  Leibnitz,  admits  that  it  is  a  great 
benefit  conferred  on  men  by  God  that  He  left  in 
His  Church  the  power  of  forgiving  sins.* 

Voltaire,  certainly  no  friend  of  Christianty, 
avows  ''that  there  is  not  perhaps  a  more  useful 
institution  than  confession."  ^ 

Rousseau,  not  less  hostile  to  the  Church,  ex- 
claims: ''How  many  restitutions  and  reparations 
does  not  confession  cause  among  Catholics!"^ 

The  Protestant  authorities  of  Nuremberg,  in 
Germany,  shortly  after  the  establishment  of  the 
reformed  doctrines  in  that  cit}^,  were  so  much 
alarmed  at  the  laxity  of  morals  which  succeeded 
after  the  abolition  of  confession  that  they  peti- 
tioned their  Emperor,  Charles  V.,  to  have  it  re- 
stored. 

It  is  a  favorite  custom  for  the  adversaries  of 
the  Catholic  Church  to  refer  to  the  alleged  loose 
morals  prevailing  in  France  and  in  other  Catholic 
countries  as  a  proof  of  the  inferior  standard  of 
Catholic  morality.  This  is  a  safe,  and  at  the  same 
time  not  the  most  honorable,  mode  of  attack,  as 
the  people  of  those  nations  are  too  far  off  to  de- 
fend  themselves.     For   my   part,   I   have   spent 

'  Sjstema  Theol.  '  Remarques  sur  rOIympe. 

»  EmiK 


364  THE  FAITH  OF  OIJE  FATHEES 

a  considerable  time  in  various  portions  of  France, 
and  more  edifying  Christians  I  have  never  wit- 
nessed than  those  I  met  in  that  country.  For  six 
years  I  had  for  my  professors  French  Priests, 
whose  exemplary  lives  were  a  daily  sermon  to  all 
around  them. 

I  submit  that  the  cosmopolitan  city  of  Paris 
(waiving,  for  the  present,  the  enormities  of  which 
it  is  accused),  is  not  to  be  addu-^,ed  as  a  fair  cri- 
terion of  French  morality.  Le^  us  stay  at  home 
and  judge  of  Catholic  morals  by  the  examples 
furnished  under  our  eyes. 

The  influence  of  the  confessioiial  has  been  fairly 
tested  ity  this  country  since  the  foundation  of  our 
Republic.  Are  practical  Catholics  enfeebled  in 
conscience?  Is  their  conscifince  chained  and 
starved?  Has  the  absolution  tney  received  whet- 
ted their  appetites  for  more  sin?  Are  they  mon- 
sters of  immorality?  I  think  tViat  an  enlightened 
Protestant  public  will  pronoun-fie  a  contrary  ver- 
dict. 

I  feel  that  I  can  say,  with  truth,  that  Catho- 
lics who  frequent  the  confessional  are  generally 
virtuous  in  their  private  lives,  JBst  and  honorable 
in  their  dealings  with  others,  and  that  they  culti- 
vate charity  and  good-will  tow&^'d  their  fellow- 
citizens. 

It  will  not  do  to  reply  that  it  is  the  systeni.  not 
the  individual,  that  is  attacked.  How  caii  we 
judge  of  a  system  unless  by  its  pr^ictical  working 
in  the  individual  ?  ' '  By  their  f  ruit?^  ye  shall  kn«  m 
them,"  says  our  Redeemer. 

Vices,  indeed,  we  have  to  deplore  among  certain 
classes  of  our  people,  which  are  o.^'ten  superin- 
duced by  their  migratory  habits  avid  irregular 
mode  of  life.  But  they  are  comm<^nly  sins  of 
frailty,  and  these  are  not  the  persona  llint  are  ao- 


THE  SACEAMEN^T  OF  PENANCE  365 

customed  to  approach  the  confessional.  If  they 
did  their  lives  would  be  very  different  from  what 
they  are. 

Tlie  best  of  us,  alas!  are  not  what  we  ought  to 
be,  considering  the  graces  we  receive.  But  if  you 
seek  for  canting  hypocrites,  or  colossal  dafaulters, 
or  perpetrators  of  well-laid  schemes  of  forgery,  or 
of  systematic  licentiousness,  or  of  premeditated 
violence,  you  will  seek  for  such  in  vain  among 
those  who  frequent  the  confessional. 

There  is  another  objection  which  it  is  difficult  to 
kill.  It  dies  hard  and,  like  Banquo^s  ghost,  it  will 
not  down.  If  you  drive  it  from  the  city,  it  will  fly 
to  the  town.  If  you  expel  it  from  the  town,  it  will 
take  refuge  in  the  village.  If  you  eject  it  from  the 
village,  it  will  hide  itself  like  some  noxious  animal, 
in  some  desert  place  until  it  makes  its  rounds  again. 

I  allude  to  the  charge  that  a  price  has  to  be  paid 
for  remitting  sins.  *'You  have  only  (say  these 
slanderers)  to  pay  a  certain  toll  at  the  confessional 
gate,  and  you  can  pass  the  biggest  load  of  sin. '  * 

It  is  hard  to  treat  these  objections  seriously.  I 
have  been  hearing  confessions  for  fifty  years,  and 
of  all  who  have  come  to  me,  not  one  has  had  the 
sense  of  duty  to  offer  me  any  compensation  for  ab- 
solving them,  and  this  is  true  of  every  Priest  with 
whom  I  have  been  acquainted.  The  truth  is,  the 
Priest  who  would  solicit  a  fee  for  absolution  knows 
that  he  would  be  guilty  of  simony,  and  would  be 
liable  to  suspension. 

But  we  are  told  that  confession  is  an  intolerable 
yoke,  that  it  makes  its  votaries  the  slaves  of  the 
Priests. 

Before  answering  this  objection,  let  me  call  your 
attention  to  the  inconsistency  of  our  adversaries, 
who  blow  hot  and  cold  in  the  same  breath.  They 
denounce  confession  as  being  too  hard  a  remedy 
for  sin  and  condemn  it,  at  the  same  time,  as  being 


366  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

a  smooth  road  to  heaven.  In  one  sentence  they 
style  it  a  bed  of  roses ;  in  the  next  a  bed  of  thorns. 

In  a  preceding  objection  it  was  charged  that  the 
votaries  of  confession  had  no  moral  constraint  at 
all.  Now  it  is  said  that  their  conscience  is  bound 
in  chains  of  slavery.  Surely,  confession  cannot  be 
hard  and  easy  at  the  same  time. 

I  have  already  refuted,  I  trust,  the  former 
charge.  I  shall  now  answer  the  second.  I  am  not 
aware  in  what  sense  our  people  are  less  independ- 
ent than  those  of  any  other  class  of  the  commu- 
nity. The  only  restraint,  as  far  as  I  know,  im- 
posed on  Catholics  by  their  Priests  is  the  yoke  of 
the  Gospel,  and  to  this  restraint  no  Christian 
ought  to  object.  In  my  estimation,  no  body  of 
Christians  enjoys  more  Apostolic  freedom  than 
those  of  the  Catholic  communion,  because  tbey  are 
guided  in  their  conduct,  not  by  the  ever-changing 
ipse  dixit  of  any  minister,  but  by  the  unchangeable 
teachings  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.^ 

But  if  to  love  their  Priest,  to  reverence  his 
sacred  character,  to  obey  his  voice  as  the  voice  of 
God ;  if  to  be  willing  to  make  any  sacrifice  for  their 
spiritual  father;  if,  I  say,  you  call  this  slavery^ 
then  our  Catholic  people  are  slaves,  indeed,  and, 
what  is  more,  they  are  content  with  their  chains. 

Even  our  Manuals  of  Devotion  have  not  escaped 
the  lash  of  wanton  criticism.  They  have  excited 
the  pious  horror  of  some  modern  Pharisees  be- 
cause they  contain  a  table  of  sins  for  the  use  oi 
those  preparing  for  confession.  The  same  flower 
that  furnishes  honey  to  the  bee  supplies  poison  to 
the  wasp ;  and,  in  like  manner,  the  same  book  that 
gives  only  the  honey  of  consolation  to  the  devout 
reader  has  nothing  but  moral  poison  for  those  that 
search  its  pages  for  nothing  else. 


THE  SACRAMLNT  OF  PENAXCE  SG-J 

How  can  anyone  otiect  to  the  table  of  sins  in 
our  prayer-books  and  consistently  advocate  the 
circulation  of  the  Bible,  which  contains  incom- 
parably plainer  and  more  palpable  allusions  to 
gross  crimes  than  are  found  in  our  books  of  de- 
votion? Let  us  not  forget  the  adage,  *^Honi  soit 
qui  mal  y  pense." 

I  may  be  permitted,  '^n  concluding  this  subject, 
to  add  the  testimony  of  my  own  experience  on  the 
beneficent  influence  of  ihe  confessional;  for,  like 
ray  brethren  in  the  ministry,  I  am.  in  the  language 
of  Dryden, 

*'One  bred  apart  from  worldly  noise, 
To  study  souls,  their  cui'^s,  and  their  diseases." 

Since  the  time  of  my  ordination  up  to  the  pres 
ent  hour  I  have  been  accur^tomed  to  hear  confes 
sions  almost  every  day.  I  have,  therefore,  had  a 
fair  opportunity  of  ascertaining  the  value  of  the 
"system."  The  impressio'>s  forced  upon  my 
mind,  far  from  being  peculiar  io  myself, are  shared 
by  every  Catholic  Priest  throughout  the  world 
charged  with  the  care  of  souls.  The  testimony  of 
ten  experienced  confessors  ought,  in  my  estima- 
tion, to  have  more  weight  in  "tabling  men  to 
judge  of  the  moral  tendencies  of  vhe  confessional 
than  the  gratuitous  assertions  of  a  thousand  in- 
dividuals who  have  no  personal  experience  of  it^ 
but  who  draw  on  their  heated  imaginations  or  on 
the  pages  of  sensational  novels  for  the  statements 
they  offer. 

My  experience  is  that  the  confessiopal  is  the 
most  powerful  lever  ever  erected  by  a  '•nerciful 
God  for  raising  men  from  the  mire  of  sin.  It  has 
more  weight  in  withdrawing  people  from  vice  than 
«ven  the  pulpit.    In  pubUc  «ermons  w^  scatter  the 


S68  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

seed  of  the  Word  of  God;  in  the  confessional  we 
reap  the  harvest.  In  sermons,  to  use  a  military 
phrase,  the  fire  is  at  random,  but  in  confession  il 
is  a  dead  shot.  The  words  of  the  Priest  go  home 
to  the  heart  of  the  penitent.  In  a  public  discourse 
the  Priest  addresses  all  in  general,  and  his  words 
of  admonition  may  be  applicable  to  very  few  of 
his  hearers.  But  his  words  spoken  in  the  confes- 
sional are  directed  exclusively  to  the  penitent, 
whose  heart  is  open  to  receive  the  Word  of  God. 
The  confessor  exhorts  the  penitent  according  to  his 
spiritual  wants.  He  cautions  him  against  the  fre- 
quentation  of  dangerous  company  and  other  occa- 
sions of  sin,  or  he  recommends  special  practices  of 
piety  suited  to  the  penitent  *s  wants. 

Hence  missionaries  are  accustomed  to  estimate 
the  fruit  of  a  mission  more  by  the  number  of  peni- 
tents who  have  approached  the  sacred  tribunal 
than  by  the  number  of  persons  who  have  listened 
to  their  sermons. 

Of  all  the  labors  that  our  sacred  ministry  im- 
poses on  us,  there  is  none  more  arduous  or  more 
irksome  than  that  of  hearing  confessions.  If  I  may 
make  a  revelation  of  my  own  life,  I  deferred  re- 
ceiving Holy  Orders  for  two  years,  from  a  sense  of 
the  dread  responsibility  connected  with  the  confes- 
sional. It  is  no  trifling  task  to  sit  for  six  or  eight 
consecutive  hours  on  a  hot  summer  day,  listening 
to  stories  of  sin  and  sorrow  and  misery.  It  is  only 
the  consciousness  of  the  immense  good  he  is  doing 
that  sustains  the  confessor  in  the  sacred  tribunal. 
He  is  one  ''who  can  have  compassion  on  the  ignor- 
ant and  erring,  because  he  himself  is  also  encom- 
passed with  infirmity."^ 

I  have  seen  the  man  whose  conscience  was 
weighed  down  by  the  accumulated  sins  of  twenty 

iHeb.  V.  2. 


THE  SACEAMEN"T  OF  PEK^NCE  369 

winters.  Upon  his  face  were  branded  guilt  and 
shame,  remorse  and  confusion.  There  he  stood  by 
the  confessional,  with  downcast  countenance, 
ashamed,  like  the  Publican,  to  look  up  to  heaven. 
He  glided  into  the  little  mercy-seat.  No  human 
ear  will  ever  learn  what  there  transpired.  The 
revelations  of  the  confessional  are  a  sealed  book. 

But  during  the  brief  time  spent  in  the  confes- 
sional a  resurrection  occurred  moi'G  miraculous 
than  the  raising  of  Lazarus  from  the  tomb — it  was 
the  resurrection  from  the  grave  of  sin  of  a  soul 
that  had  long  lain  worm-eaten.  During  those 
precious  moments  a  ray  from  heaven  dispelled  the 
darkness  and  gloom  from  that  self-accuser's  mind. 
The  genial  warmth  of  the  Holy  Spirit  melted  his 
frozen  heart,  and  the  purifying  influence  of  the 
same  Spirit  that  came  on  the  Apostles,  "like  a 
mighty  wind  from  heaven,"  scattered  the  poison- 
ous atmosphere  in  which  he  lived  and  filled  his  soul 
with  Divine  grace.  When  he  came  out  there  was 
quickness  in  his  step,  joy  on  his  countenance,  a 
new  light  in  his  eye.  Had  you  asked  him  why,  he 
would  have  answered:  ''Because  I  was  lost,  and 
am  found.  Having  been  dead,  I  am  come  to  life 
again. ' '  ^ 

n. 

ON  THE  RELATIVE  MORALITY  OF  CATHOLIC  AND  PROT- 
ESTANT COUNTRIES. 

It  has  been  gravely  asserted  that  the  confession 
of  sin  and  the  doctrine  of  absolution  tend  to  the 
spread  of  crime  and  immorality.  Statistics  are 
produced  to  show  that  murder  and  illegitimate 

1  Luke  XV.  32. 


370  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

births  are  largely  in  excess  in  countries  under 
Catholic  influence,  and  that  this  prevalence  of 
wickedness  is  the  result  of  confession  and  easy 
absolution. 

If  our  system  of  absolving  those  only  who  both 
repent  and  confess  leads  to  laxity  of  morals,  how 
much  more  must  the  Protestant  system,  which 
omits  that  which  is  most  humiliating  and  admits 
the  sinner  to  reconciliation  on  condition  of  mere 
interior  dispositions  ?  As  all  our  catechisms  teach, 
and  as  every  Catholic  knows,  there  is  no  pardon 
of  sin  without  sorrow  of  heart  and  purpose  of 
amendment.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that 
the  most  ignorant  Catholic  believes  he  can  procure 
the  pardon  of  his  sins  by  simply  confessing  them 
without  being  truly  sorry  for  them.  The  estimate 
which  so  many  Protestants  set  on  the  virtue  of 
even  the  lower  classes  of  Roman  Catholics  is 
clearly  enough  evinced  in  the  preference  which 
they  constantly  manifest  in  their  employment  of 
Catholics — practical  Catholics — Catholics  who  go 
to  confession.  I  maintain,  therefore,  that  confes- 
sion, far  from  being  an  incentive  to  sin,  as  our  ad- 
versaries have  the  hardihood  to  affirm,  is  a  most 
powerful  check  on  the  depravity  of  men  and  a 
most  effectual  preventive  of  their  criminal  ex- 
cesses. 

But  is  it  true  that  crimes,  especially  murder  and 
illegitimacy,  are  more  prevalent  in  Catholic  than 
in  Protestant  countries  f  I  utterly  deny  the  asser- 
tion, and  also  appeal  to  statistics  in  support  of  the 
denial.  Whence  do  our  opponents  derive  their  in- 
formation? Forsooth,  from  Eev.  M.  Hobart  Sey- 
mour's ** Nights  Among  Romanists"  and  similar 
absolutely  unreliable  compilations,  the  false  state- 
ttients  of  which  have  been  again  and  again  refuted. 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF 'PENANCE    371 

Rev.  Mr.  Seymour  gives  the  following  list  of  the 
number  of  murders  in  England,  France  and  Ire- 
land : 

Ireland 19  homicides  to  the  million  of  Inhabitants 

France   31  •'  "  " 

England 4  *•  **  *' 

The  reader  of  the  above  might  well  draw  back  in 
astonishment  and  exclaim,  "Truly  moral  atmos- 
phere of  England ! ' '  But  how  do  these  statements 
compare  with  the  official  records  which  I  submit  to 
the  imprejudiced  reader?  Recent  returns  from 
the  ** Hand-Book"  for  France,  and  ''Thom's  Offi^ 
cial  Directory  for  England  and  Ireland,  1869, ' '  are 
as  follows: 

Convictions  (and  sentences  to  death).  Executions. 

1864.— France 9  5 

1867.— England  and  Wales 27  10 

Ireland 3  0 

These  figures,  which  are  from  authenticated 
sources,  do  not  bear  out  our  accusers  in  their  as- 
sertion that  murders  are  more  prevalent  in  Catho- 
lic than  in  Protestant  countries.  The  statistics  of 
this  crime  are  limited,  or  they  are  not  in  very  gen- 
eral circulation.  But  we  have  more  extensive  in- 
formation in  reference  to  the  other  great,  crime 
which,  it  is  charged,  prevails  to  a  much  more 
alarming  ei^tent  in  countries  under  Catholic  in- 
fluence, viz,  illegitimacy.  Here  again  we  shall 
meet  statistics  with  counter-statistics  to  refute  un- 
just declarations.  We  do  not  wish  to  be  under- 
stood as  advocating  the  immaculateness  of  Cath- 
olic communities.  We  frankly  admit  and  heartily 
deplore  fhe  disorders  which  Catholics  commit,  but 
we  den^  that  they  are  worse  than  their  Protestant 
neighbors ;  and  still  more  emphatically  do  we  deny, 


S72  THE  FAITH  OF  QUE  FATHERS 

that  the  Church  is  responsible  for  their  disorders. 

The  Journal  of  the  Statistical  Society  of  Lon- 
don, of  the  years  18G0,  '62,  '65,  '67,  gives  the  num- 
ber of  illegitimate  births  in  England  and  Wales  as 
61/2  in  every  hundred,  whilst  in  the  Catholic  king- 
dom of  Sardinia  the  number  is  slightly  over  two  in 
the  hundred,  and  in  Ireland  three-  in  every  hun- 
dred. If  the  test  of  illegitimacy  is  a  correct  index 
of  the  morality  of  a  country,  how  refreshing  to 
pass  from  Protestant  England  across  to  Catholic 
Ireland  or  to  the  Continent  and  visit  Sardinia! 
The  moral  atmosphere  of  these  countries,  com- 
pared with  England,  must  be  as  a  healthful  breeze 
to  a  pestilential  marsh. 

That  we  may  see  at  a  glance  the  real  condition 
of  European  countries  in  reference  to  this  species 
of  crime,  I  will  here  insert  as  correct  a  table  as  can 
be  made  from  the  latest  reports.  (Vid.  Catholic 
World,  Vol.  XI.,  p.  112.) 

PERCENTAGE   OF  ILLEGITIMACY  IN   PEOTESTANT   AND 
CATHOLIC  COUNTPJES  OF  EUROPE. 

Protestant.  Per  cent. 

Holland     4.C 

Switzerland    5.5 

Prussia  (Protestant) 10.0 

England  and  Wales 0-^ 

Sweden  and  Norway 9.0 

Scotland 10-1 

Denmark  H-O 

German  States 14.8 

Wurtemburg 16.4 

Catholic. 

Italy 5.1 

Spain   5.5 

France '''■2 

Prussia  (Catholic)  6.5 

Belgium 7.2 

Austria H-l 

Ireland    3.0 


THE  SACEAMENT  OE  PENANCE  373 

We  Liave  divided  Prussia  into  Protestant  and 
Catholic  because  statistics  are  kept  according  to 
the  religious  creed  of  the  people ;  and  we  discover 
that,  whilst  among  the  Catholic  portion  of  the  em- 
pire there  is  but  a  percentage  of  six  and  a  half  of 
illegitimate  births,  among  the  Protestants  it  runs 
up  to  ten  per  cent.  And  the  same  remark  is  ap- 
plicable to  Ireland. 

The  Scotman,  whose  statements  are  based  on  the 
report  of  the  British  Eegistrar-General,  publishes 
the  following  statistics : 

''The  proportion  of  illegitimate  births  to  the 
total  number  of  births  is  in  Ireland  3.8  per  cent. ; 
in  England  the  proportion  is  6.4 ;  in  Scotland  9.9 ; 
in  other  words,  England  is  nearly  twice,  and  Scot- 
land nearly  thrice  worse,  than  Ireland.  Some- 
thing worse  has  to  be  added,  from  which  no  con- 
solation can  be  derived.  The  proportion  of  illegi- 
timacy is  very  unequally  distributed  over  Ireland, 
and  the  inequality  rather  humbling  to  us  as  Prot- 
estants, and  still  more  as  Presbyterians  and 
Scotchmen.  Taking  Ireland  according  to  the 
registration  divisions,  the  proportion  of  illegiti- 
mate births  varies  from  6.2  to  1.3.  The  division 
showing  this  lowest  figure  is  the  western,  being 
substantially  the  Province  of  Connaught,  where 
about  nineteen-twentieths  of  the  population  are 
Celtic  and  Roman  Catholic.  The  division  showing 
the  highest  proportion  of  illegitimacy  is  the  north- 
eastern, which  comprises,  or  almost  consists  of, 
the  Province  of  Ulster,  where  the  population  is  al- 
most equally  divided  between  Protestants  and  Ro- 
man Catholics,  and  where  the  great  majority  of 
Protestants  are  of  Scotch  blood  and  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  The  sum  of  the  whole  matter  is, 
that  semi-Presbyterian  and  semi-Scotch  Ulster  is 
fully  three  times  more  immoral  than  wholly  Pop. 


374  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

ish  and  wholly  Irish  Connaught  —  which  corro- 
sponds  with  wonderful  accuracy  to  the  more  gen- 
eral fact  that  Scotland,  as  a  whole,  is  three  times 
toore  immoral  than  Ireland  as  a  whole.'* 

It  is  worthy,  too,  of  notice,  that  in  the  tabular 
statement  above  presented  the  percentage  of  ille- 
gitimacy in  Holland  and  Switzerland,  where 
there  are  large  Catholic  minorities,  is  lower  than 
in  any  other  Protestant  country. 

We  have  at  hand  evidences,  furnished  by  Prot- 
estant writers,  of  the  hideous  immoralities  of  cer- 
tain European  nations  that  are  more  thoroughly 
Protestantized  than  England  itself.  Thus,  Mr. 
Laing  writes:  ''Of  the  2,714  children  born  in 
Stockholm,  1,577  were  legitimate,  1,137  illegiti- 
mate ;  making  only  a  balance  of  440  chaste  mothers 
out  of  2,714 ;  and  the  proportion  of  illegitimate  to 
legitimate  children  not  as  one  to  two  and  three- 
tenths,  but  as  one  to  one  and  a  half. ' ' — A  Tour  in 
Sweden  in  1838. 

But  we  are  not  disposed  to  parade  these  mon- 
strous vices,  no  matter  by  whom  committed.  We 
allude  to  them  with  feelings  of  shame,  not  of  pleas- 
ure; and  give  them  a  passing  notice  merely  in 
self-defence  against  the  gratuitous  assertions  of 
our  adversaries.  We  certainly  do  not  wish  to  ex- 
cuse or  palliate  the  evil  deeds  of  Catholics,  who, 
with  all  the  blessed  aids  which  their  religion  af- 
fords, ought  to  be  much  better  than  they  are.  Yet 
we  will  add,  quoting  the  words  of  the  Catholic 
World'.  ''If  we  are  not  very  much  better  than  our 
neighbors,  we  are  not  any  worse ;  and  are  not  to  be 
hounded  down  with  the  cry  of  vice  and  immorality 
by  a  set  of  Pharisees  who  are  constantly  lauding 
their  own  superiority  and  thanking  God  they  are 
so  much  better  than  we  poor  Catholics." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

INDULGENCES. 

THERE  are  few  tenets  of  the  Catholic  Church 
so  little  understood,  or  so  grossly  misrepre- 
sented by  her  adversaries,  as  her  doctrine 
regarding  Indulgences. 

One  of  the  reasons  of  the  popular  misapprehen- 
sion of  an  Indulgence  may  be  ascribed  to  the 
change  which  the  meaning  of  that  term  has  gradu- 
ally undergone.  The  word  Indulgence  originally 
signified  favor,  remission  or  forgiveness.  Now, 
it  is  commonly  used  in  the  sense  of  unlawful  grati- 
fication, and  of  free  scope  to  the  passions.  Hence, 
when  some  ignorant  or  prejudiced  persons  hear  of 
the  Church  granting  an  Indulgence  the  idea  of 
license  to  sin  is  at  once  presented  to  their  minds. 

An  Indulgence  is  simply  a  remission  in  whole  or 
in  part,  through  the  superabundant  merits  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  His  saints,  of  the  temporal 
punishment  due  to  God  on  account  of  sin  after  the 
guilt  and  eternal  punishment  have  been  remitted. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that,  even  after  our 
guilt  is  removed,  there  often  remains  some  tem- 
poral punishment  to  be  undergone,  either  in  this 
life  or  the  next,  as  an  expiation  to  Divine  sanctity 
and  justice.  The  Holy  Scripture  furnishes  us 
with  many  examples  of  this  truth.  Mary,  the  sis- 
ter of  Moses,  was  pardoned  the  sin  which  she  had 
committed  by  murmuring  against  her  brother. 

375 


376  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Nevertheless,  God  inflicted  on  her  the  penalty  of 
leprosy  and  of  seven  days'  separation  from  the 
people.^ 

Nathan,  the  jDrophet,  announced  to  David  that 
his  crimes  were  forgiven,  but  that  he  should  suffer 
many  chastisements  from  the  hand  of  God.- 

That  our  Lord  has  given  to  the  Church  the 
power  of  granting  Indulgences  is  clearly  deduced 
from  the  Sacred  Text.  To  the  Prince  of  the  Apos- 
tles He  said:  "Wliatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on 
earth  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven;  and  whatso- 
ever thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  also 
in  heaven."  ^  And  to  all  the  Apostles  assembled 
together  He  made  the  same  solemn  declaration.* 
By  these  words  our  Savior  empowered  His 
Church  to  deliver  her  children  (if  properly  dis- 
posed) from  every  obstacle  that  might  retard  them 
from  the  Kindom  of  Heaven.  Now  there  are  two 
impediments  that  withliold  a  man  from  the 
heavenly  kingdom — sin  and  the  temporal  punish- 
ment incurred  by  it.  And  the  Church  having 
power  to  remit  the  greater  obstacle,  which  is  sin, 
has  power  also  to  remove  the  smaller  obstacle, 
which  is  the  temporal  punishment  due  on  account 
of  it. 

The  prerogative  of  granting  Indulgence  has 
been  exercised  by  the  teachers  of  the  Church  from 
the  beginning  of  her  existence. 

St.  Paul  exercised  it  in  behalf  of  the  incestuous 
Corinthian  whom  he  had  condemned  to  a  severe 
penance  proportioned  to  his  guilt,  ' '  that  his  spirit 
might  be  saved  in  the  day  of  the  Lord."^  And 
having  learned  afterwards  of  the  Corinthian's 
fervent  contrition  the  Apostle  absolves  him  from 
the  penance  which  he  had  imposed :  "To  him,  that 

*  Num.  xii.    »  II.  Kings  xii.    « Matt.  xvi.  19.    *  Ibid.,  xviii.  1& 
M.  Cor.  V.  5. 


INDULGENCES  377 

is  sucli  a  one,  this  rebuke  is  sufficient,  which  is 
given  by  many.  So  that  contrariwise  you  should 
rather  pardon  and  comfort  him,  lest,  perhaps,  such 
a  one  be  swallowed  up  with  over-much  sorrow. 
.  .  .  And  to  whom  you  have  pardoned  anything, 
I  also.  For,  what  I  have  pardoned,  if  I  have  par- 
doned anything,  for  your  sakes  I  have  done  it  in 
the  person  of  Christ."  ^ 

Here  we  have  all  the  elements  that  constitute  an 
Indulgence.  First — ^A  penance,  or  temporal 
punishment  proportioned  to  the  gravity  of  the  of- 
fence, is  imposed  on  the  transgressor.  Second — • 
The  penitent  is  truly  contrite  for  his  crime.  Third 
— This  determines  the  Apostle  to  remit  the 
penalty.  Fourth — The  Apostle  considers  the 
relaxation  of  the  penance  ratified  by  Jesus  Christ, 
in  whose  name  it  is  imparted. 

We  find  the  Bishops  of  the  Church,  after  the 
Apostle,  wielding  this  same  power.  No  one  dis- 
putes the  right,  which  they  claimed  from  the  very 
first  ages,  of  inflicting  canonical  penances  on 
grievous  criminals,  who  were  subjected  to  long 
fasts,  severe  abstinences  and  other  mortifications 
for  a  period  extending  from  a  few  days  to  five  or 
ten  years  and  even  to  a  lifetime,  according  to  the 
gravity  of  the  offence.  These  penalties  were,  in 
several  instances,  mitigated  or  cancelled  by  the 
Church,  according  to  her  discretion;  for  a  society 
that  can  inflict  a  punishment  can  also  remit  it. 
Our  Lord  gave  His  Church  power  not  only  to  bind, 
but  also  to  loose.  This  discretionary  prerogative 
was  often  exercised  by  the  Church  at  the  interces- 
sion of  those  who  were  condemned  to  martyrdom, 
when  the  penitents  themselves  gave  strong  marks 
of  fervent  sorrow,  as  we  learn  from  the  writings 
of  Tertullian  and  Cyprian. 

*II.  Cor.  ii.  6-10. 


378  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

The  General  Council  of  Nice  and  other  Synods 
authorize  Bishops  to  mitigate,  or  even  to  remit 
altogether,  public  penances,  whenever,  in  their 
judgment,  the  penitent  manifested  special  marks 
of  repentance.  Now,  in  relaxing  the  canonical  pen- 
ances, or  in  substituting  for  them  a  milder  satis- 
faction, the  Bishops  granted  what  we  call  an  In- 
dulgence. This  sentence  of  remission  on  the  part 
of  the  Bishops  was  valid  not  only  in  the  sight  of 
the  Church,  but  also  in  the  sight  of  God.  Al- 
though the  Church  imposes  canonical  penances  no 
longer,  God  has  never  ceased  to  inflict  temporal 
punishment  for  sin.  Hence  Indulgences  continue 
to  be  necessary  now,  if  not  as  substitute  for  canon- 
ical penances,  at  least  as  a  mild  and  merciful 
payment  of  the  temporal  debt  due  to  God. 

An  Indulgence  is  called  plenary  or  partial,  ac- 
cording as  it  remits  the  whole  or  a  part  of  the 
temporal  punishment  due  to  sin.  An  Indulgence, 
for  instance,  of  forty  days  remits,  before  God,  so 
much  of  the  temporal  punishment  as  would  have 
been  expiated  in  the  primitive  Church  by  a  canon- 
ical penance  of  forty  days. 

Although  the  very  name  of  Indulgence  is  now 
so  repugnant  to  our  dissenting  brethren,  there  was 
a  time  when  the  Protestant  Church  professed  to 
grant  them.  In  the  canons  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land reference  is  made  to  Indulgences,  and  to  the 
disposition  to  be  made  of  the  money  paid  for 
them.^ 

From  what  I  have  said  you  may  judge  for  your- 

'Articuli  pro  Clero,  a.  d.  1584.  Sparrow,  194.  I  admit,  in- 
deed, that  Protestant  canons  have  but  a  fleeting  and  ephemeral 
authority  even  among  themselves,  and  that  the  canons  must 
yield  to  the  spirit  of  the  times,  not  the  times  to  the  canons.  I 
dare  say  that  even  few  Protestant  theologians  are  familiar  with 
the  canons  to  which  I  have  referred.  Some  people  have  a  con- 
venient faculty  of  forgetting  unpleasant  traditions. 


INDULGENCES  379 

self  what  to  think  of  those  who  say  that  an  In- 
dulgence is  the  remission  of  past  sins,  or  a  license 
to  commit  sin  granted  by  the  Pope  as  a  spiritual 
compensation  to  the  faithful  for  jDecuniary  offer- 
ings made  him.  I  need  not  inform  you  that  an 
Indulgence  is  neither  the  one  nor  the  other.  It  is 
not  a  remission  of  sin,  since  no  one  can  gain  an 
Indulgence  until  he  is  already  free  from  sin.  It 
is  still  less  a  license  to  commit  sin;  for  every 
Catholic  child  knows  that  neither  Priest  nor 
Bishop  nor  Pope  nor  even  God  Himself — with  all 
reverence  be  it  said — can  give  license  to  commit 
the  smallest  fault. 

But  are  not  Indulgences  at  variance  with  the 
spirit  of  the  Gospel,  since  they  appear  to  be  a  mild 
and  feeble  substitute  for  alms-giving,  fasts, 
abstinences  and  other  penitential  austerities, 
which  Jesus  Christ  inculcated  and  practised,  and 
which  the  primitive  Church  enforced  ? 

The  Church,  as  every  one  must  know  who  is  ac- 
quainted with  her  history,  never  exempts  her  chil- 
dren from  the  obligation  of  doing  works  of  pen- 
ance. 

No  one  can  deny  that  the  practices  of  mortifica- 
tion are  more  frequent  among  Catholics  than 
among  Protestants.  Where  will  you  find  the 
evangelical  duty  of  fasting  enforced,  if  not  from 
the  Catholic  pulpit  ?  It  is  well  known  that,  among 
the  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  those  who 
avail  themselves  of  the  boon  of  Indulgences  are 
usually  her  most  practical,  edifying  and  fervent 
children.  Their  spiritual  growth  far  from  being 
retarded,  is  quickened  by  the  aid  of  Indulgences, 
which  are  usually  accompanied  by  acts  of  contri- 
tion, devotion,  self-denial  and  the  reception  of  the 
Sacraments. 

But,  do  what  we  will,  we  cannot  please  our  op- 


380  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

ponents.  If  we  fast  and  give  alms ;  if  we  crucify 
our  flesh,  and  make  pilgrimages  and  perform  other 
works  of  penance,  we  are  accused  of  clinging  to  the 
rags  of  dead  works,  instead  of  "holding  on  to 
Jesus ' '  by  faith.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  enrich 
our  souls  with  the  treasures  of  Indulgences  we  are 
charged  with  relying  on  the  vicarious  merits  of 
others  and  of  lightening  too  much  the  salutary 
burden  of  the  cross.  But  how  can  Protestants 
consistently  find  fault  with  the  Church  for  mitigat' 
ing  the  austerities  of  penance,  since  their  own 
fundamental  principle  rests  on  faith  alone  without 
good  works? 

But  have  not  Indulgences  been  the  occasion  of 
many  abuses  at  various  times,  particularly  in  the 
sixteenth  centurj^? 

I  will  not  deny  that  Indulgences  have  been 
abused;  but  are  not  the  most  sacred  things  liable 
to  be  perverted?  This  is  a  proper  place  to  refer 
briefly  to  the  Bull  of  Pope  Leo  X.  proclaiming  the 
Indulgence  which  afforded  Luther  a  pretext  for 
his  apostasy.  Leo  determined  to  bring  to  com- 
pletion the  magnificent  Church  of  St.  Peter,  com- 
menced by  his  predecessor,  Julius  II.  With  that 
view  he  issued  a  Bull  promulgating  an  Indulgence 
to  such  as  would  contribute  some  voluntary  offer- 
ing toward  the  erection  of  the  grand  cathedral. 
Those,  however,  who  contributed  nothing  shared 
equally  in  the  treasury  of  the  Church,  provided 
they  complied  with  the  essential  conditions  for 
gaining  the  Indulgence.  The  only  indispensable 
conditions  enjoined  by  the  Papal  Bull  were  sin- 
cere repentance  and  confession  of  sins.  D'Au- 
bigne  admits  this  truth,  though  in  a  faltering  man- 
ner, when  he  observes  that  "in  the  Pope's  Bull 
something  was  said  of  the  repentance  of  the  heart 


INDULGENCES  381 

and  tlie  confession  of  the  lips."  *  Tlie  applicants 
for  the  Indulgence  knew  well  that,  no  matter  how 
munificent  were  their  offerings,  these  would  avail 
them  nothing  without  true  contrition  of  heart. 

No  traffic  or  sale  of  Indulgences  was,  conse- 
quently, authorized  or  countenanced  by  the  Head 
of  the  Church,  since  the  contributions  were  under- 
stood to  be  voluntary.  In  order  to  check  any 
sordid  love  of  gain  in  those  charged  with  preach- 
ing the  Indulgence,  **the  hand  that  delivered  the 
Indulgence,"  as  D'Aubigne  testifies,  ''could  not 
receive  the  money:  that  was  forbidden  under  the 
severest  penalties."  ^ 

Wherein,  then,  was  the  conduct  of  the  Pope  rep- 
rehensible? Certainly  not  in  soliciting  the  dona- 
tions of  the  faithful  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a 
temple  of  worship,  a  temple  which  today  stands 
unrivalled  in  majesty  and  beauty ! 

"But  thou  of  temples  old,  or  altars  new, 
Standest  alone,  with  nothing  like  to  thee; 
Worthiest  of  God,  the  holy  and  the  true, 
Since  Sion's  desolation,  when  that  He 
Forsook  His  former  city,  what  could  be 
Of  earthly  structures,  in  His  honor  piled, 
Of  a  sublimer  aspect?     Majesty, 
Power,  Glory,  Strength,  and  Beauty,  all  are  aisled 
In  this  eternal  ark  of  worship  undefiled.'" 

If  Moses  was  justified  in  appealing  to  the 
Hebrew  people,  in  the  Old  Law,  for  offerings  to 
adorn  the  tabernacle,  why  should  not  the  Pope  be 
equally  justified  in  appealing  for  similar  offerings 
to  the  Christian  people,  among  whom  he  exercises 
supreme  authoritv,  as  Moses  did  among  the  Israel- 
ites! 

Nor  did  the  Pope  exceed  his  legitimate  powers 
in  promising  to  the  pious  donors  spiritual  favors 

».Vol.  I.  p.  214.  »IMd.  'Byron. 


382  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

in  exchange  for  their  delations.  For  if  our  sins 
can  be  redeemed  by  alms  Id  the  poor/  as  the  Scrip- 
ture tells  us,  why  not  as  well  by  offerings  in  the 
cause  of  religion?  Wheik  Protestant  ministers  ap- 
peal to  their  congregations  in  behalf  of  themselves 
and  their  children,  or  in  .support  of  a  church,  they 
do  not  fail  to  hold  out  to  their  hearers  spiritual 
blessings  in  reward  for  tAeir  gifts.  It  is  not  long 
since  a  Methodist  parsoi'i  of  New  York  addressed 
these  sacred  words  to  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  the 
millionaire,  who  had  er.dowed  a  Methodist  col- 
lege: "Cornelias,  thy  prayer  is  heard,  and  thy 
alms  are  had  in  remembrance  in  the  sight  of 
God."  2  The  minister  is  more  indulgent  than  even 
the  Pope,  to  whom  wei*e  given  the  keys  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven;  for  the  minister  declares 
Cornelius  absolved  without  the  preliminary  of 
confession  cr  contrition,  while  even,  according  to 
D'Aubigne,  the  infleiiible  Pope  insisted  on  the 
necessity  ot  ^ '  repentance  of  the  heart  and  confes- 
sion of  the  lips ' '  before  the  donor 's  offering  could 
avail  him  to  salvation. 

John  Tetzel,  a  Dominican  monk,  who  had  been 
appointed  the  chief  preacher  to  announce  the  In- 
dulgence in  Germany,  was  accused  by  Luther  of 
exceeding  his  powers  by  making  them  subservient 
to  his  own  private  ends.  TetzePs  conduct  was 
disavowed  and  condemned  by  the  representative  of 
the  Holy  See.  The  Council  of  Trent,  held  some 
time  after,  took  effectual  measures  to  put  a  stop 
to  all  irregularities  regarding  Indulgences  and  is- 
sued the  following  decree:  "Wishing  to  correct 
and  amend  the  abuses  which  have  crept  into  them, 
and  on  occasion  of  which  this  signal  name  of  In- 
dulgences is  blasphemed  by  heretics,  the  Holy 
Synod  enjoins  in  general,  by  the  present  decreeb 

» Daniel  iv.  24.  'Acts  r.  31. 


INDULGE]!^CES  383 

ihat  all  wicked  traffic  for  obtaining  them,  which 
has  been  the  fruitful  source  of  many  abuses  among 
the  Cliristian  people,  should  be  wholly  abol- 
ished." * 


Sesc.  XXV.  Doc.  de  lndul;'-^t 


CHAPTER  XXVIIl. 

EXTREME  UNCTION. 

XTREME  Unction  is  a  Sacrament  in  wMcb 
the  sick,  by  the  anointing  with  holy  oil  and 
the  prayers  of  the  Priests,  receive  spiritual 
succor  and  even  corporal  strength  when  such  is 
conducive  to  their  salvation.  This  unction  is 
called  Extreme,  because  it  is  usually  the  last  of 
the  holy  unctions  administered  by  the  Church. 

The  Apostle  St.  James  clearly  refers  to  this 
Sacrament  and  points  out  its  efficacy  in  the  fol- 
lowing words:  **Is  any  man  sick  among  you;  let 
him  bring  in  the  Priests  of  the  Church,  and  let 
them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall 
save  the  sick  man;  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him 
up;  and  if  he  be  in  sins,  they  shall  be  forgiven 
him."i 

Several  of  the  ancient  Fathers  allude  to  this 
Sacrament.  Origen  (third  century)  writes: 
*' There  is  also  a  remission  of  sins  through  peni- 
tence, when  the  sinner  ...  is  not  ashamed  to  de- 
clare his  sin  to  the  Priest  of  the  Lord,  and  to  seek 
a  remedy  .  .  .  wherein  that  also  is  fulfilled  which 
the  Apostle  James  saith:  ^Biit  if  any  be  sick 
among  you,  let  him  call  in  the  Priests  of  the 
Church,  and  let  them  impose  hands  on  him,  anoint- 
ing him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  ^ 

*  James  v.  14,  15.  'Homll.  ii,  in  Levit 

384 


EXTREME  UNCTION  385 

St.  Chrysostom  (fourth  century)  says:  "Not 
only  when  they  (the  Priests)  regenerate  us,  but 
they  have  also  power  to  forgive  sins  committed 
afterward;  for  he  says:  'Is  any  man  sick  among 
you ;  let  him  call  in  the  Priests  of  the  Church,  and 
let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord.'  "  ^ 

Pope  Innocent  I.  (fifth  century),  in  a  letter  to  a 
Bishop  named  Decentius,  after  quoting  the  words 
of  St.  James,  proceeds :  "These  words,  there  is  no 
doubt,  ought  to  be  understood  of  the  faithful  who 
are  sick,  who  can  be  anointed  with  the  holy  oil, 
which,  having  been  prepared  by  a  Bishop,  may  be 
used  not  only  for  Priests, but  for  all  Christians.  "^ 

The  Sacramentary,  or  ancient  Roman  Ritual,  re- 
vised by  Pope  St.  Gregory  in  the  sixth  century, 
prescribes  the  blessing  of  oil  by  the  Bishop,  and 
the  prayers  to  be  recited  in  the  anointing  of  the 
sick. 

The  venerable  Bede  of  England,  who  lived  in 
the  eighth  century,  referring  to  the  words  of  St. 
James,  writes:  "The  custom  of  the  Church  re- 
quires that  the  sick  be  anointed  by  the  Priests  with 
consecrated  oil  and  be  sanctified  by  the  prayer 
which  accompanies  it. "  ^ 

The  Greek  Church,  which  separated  from  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  in  the  ninth  century,  says 
in  its  profession  of  faith:  "The  seventh  Sacra- 
ment is  Extreme  Unction,  prescribed  by  Christ; 
for,  after  He  had  begun  to  send  His  disciples  two 
and  two  (Mark  vi.  7-13),  they  anointed  and  healed 
many,  which  unction  the  Church  has  since  main- 
tained by  pious  usage,  as  we  learn  from  the 
Epistle  of  St.  James:  '7s  any  man  sick  among 
you,'  etc.    The  fruits  proper  to  this  Sacrament, 

*Lib.   iii.   de   Sacrec?. 

*  Epist  XXV.  ad  Decentum.  •  Comment  in  lociim. 


386  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

as  St.  James  declares,  are  the  remission  of  sins, 
health  of  soul,  strength — in  fine,  of  body.  But 
though  it  does  not  always  produce  this  last  result, 
it  always,  at  least,  restores  the  soul  to  a  better 
state  by  the  forgiveness  of  sins."  This  is  pre- 
cisely the  Catholic  teaching  on  this  subject.  All 
the  other  Oriental  churches,  some  of  which  sepa- 
rated from  Rome  in  the  fifth  century,  likewise  enu- 
merate Extreme  Unction  among  their  Sacraments. 

Such  identity  of  doctrine  proclaimed  during  so 
many  ages  by  churches  so  wide  apart  can  have  no 
other  than  an  Apostolic  origin. 

The  eminent  Protestant  Leibnitz  makes  this 
candid  admission:  "There  is  no  room  for  much 
discussion  regarding  the  unction  of  the  sick.  It 
is  supported  by  the  words  of  Scripture,  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  Church,  in  which  pious  and  Catho- 
lic men  safely  confide.  Nor  do  I  see  what  any 
one  can  find  reprehensible  in  that  practice  which 
the  Church  accepts. ' '  * 

Protestants,  though  professing  to  be  guided  by 
the  Holy  Scripture,  entirely  disregard  the  admoni- 
tion of  St.  James.  Luther  acted  with  more  con- 
sistency. Finding  that  the  injunction  of  the  Apos- 
tle was  too  plain  to  be  explained  away  by  subtlety 
of  words,  he  boldly  rejected  the  entire  Epistle, 
which  he  contemptuously  styled  **a  letter  of 
£!traw.  "2 

It  is  sad  to  think  that  our  separated  brethren 
discard  this  consoling  instrument  of  grace,  though 
pressed  upon  them  by  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
for,  surely,  a  spiritual  medicine  which  diminishes 
the  terrors  of  death,  comforts  the  dying  Christian, 
fortifies  the  soul  in  its  final  struggle,  and  purifies 
it  for  its  passage  from  time  to  eternity,  should  be 
gratefully  and  eagerly  made  use  of,  especially; 
when  prescribed  by  an  inspired  Physiciai? 
*  Systema  Theol.,  p.  2&o.  '  Lib.  de  Captiv.  Babyl. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  PRIESTHOOD. 

THE  Apostles  were  clothed  with  the  powers  of 
Jesus  Christ.    The  Priest,  as  the  successor 
of  the  Apostles,  is  clothed  with  their  power. 
This  fact  reveals  to  us  the  eminent  dignity  of  the 
priestly  character. 

The  exalted  dignity  of  the  Priest  is  derived  not 
from  the  personal  merits  for  which  he  may  be  con- 
spicuous, but  from  the  sublime  functions  which  he 
is  charged  to  perform.  To  the  carnal  eye  the 
Priest  looks  like  other  men,  but  to  the  eye  of  faith 
he  is  exalted  above  the  angels,  because  he  exer- 
cises powers  not  given  even  to  angels. 

The  Priest  is  the  ambassador  of  God,  appointed 
to  vindicate  His  honor  and  to  proclaim  His  glory. 
*'We  are  ambassadors  for  Christ,'*  says  the  Apos- 
tle; *'God,  as  it  were,  exhorting  by  us."  ^  If  it  is 
esteemed  a  great  privilege  for  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  to  represent  our  country  in  any  of 
the  courts  of  Europe,  how  much  greater  is  the 
prerogative  to  represent  the  court  of  heaven 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth!  "As  the  Father 
hath  sent  Me,"  says  our  Lord  to  His  Apostles,  "I 
also  send  you."  ^  '* Going,  therefore,  teach  ye  all 
nations,  .  .  .  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things, 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you.  And,  behold, 
1  am  with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  f^nsummatioa 

*  II.  Cor.  V.  20.  *  John  xx.  21. 

387 


38S  THE  FATTII  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

of  the  world."  ^  The  jurisdiction  of  earthly  rep- 
resentatives is  limited,  but  the  authority  of  the 
ministers  of  God  extends  over  the  whole  earth. 
* '  Go  ye  into  the  whole  world  and  preach  the  Gos- 
pel," says  Christ,  "to  every  creature."  ^ 

Not  only  does  Jesus  empower  His  ministers  to 
preach  in  His  name,  but  he  commands  their 
hearers  to  listen  and  obey.  *' Whosoever  will  not 
receive  you,  nor  hear  your  words,  going  forth 
from  that  house  or  city,  shake  off  the  dust  from 
your  feet.  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  it  shall  be  more 
tolerable  for  the  land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha  in 
the  day  of  judgment  than  for  that  city."  ^  "He 
that  heareth  you  heareth  Me;  and  he  that 
despiseth  you  despiseth  Me ;  and  he  that  despiseth 
Me  despiseth  Him  that  sent  Me."  * 

God  requires  not  only  that  His  Gospel  should 
be  heard  with  reverence,  but  that  the  persons  of 
His  Apostles  should  be  honored.  As  no  greater 
insult  can  be  offered  to  a  nation  than  to  insult  its 
representative  at  a  foreign  court,  so  no  greater 
injury  can  be  offered  to  our  Lord  than  to  do  vio- 
lence to  His  representatives,  the  Priests  of  His 
Church.  *  '■  Touch  not  My  anointed,  and  do  no  evil 
to  My  prophets."  ^  God  avenged  the  crime  of  two 
and  forty  boys  who  mocked  the  prophet  Eliseus 
by  sending  wild  beasts  to  tear  them  in  pieces. 
The  frightful  death  of  Maria  Monk,  the  calumina- 
tor  of  consecrated  Priests  and  Virgins,  who  ended 
her  life  a  drunken  maniac  on  BlackwelPs  Island, 
proves  that  our  religious  institutions  are  not  to  be 
mocked  with  impunity. 

When  an  ami3assador  is  accredited  from  this 
country  to  a  foreign  court,  he  is  honored  with  the 
confidence  of  the  President,  from  whom  he  receives 

•Matt  xxTili.  19,  20.        'Mark  xvi.  15.        "Matt  x.  U,  15, 

«Lnke  x.  16.  5  Paralip,  xvi.  22. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  389 

private  instructions.  So  does  Jesus  honor  His 
ambassadors  with  His  friendship  and  coramuni- 
cate  to  them  the  secrets  of  heaven:  ''I  will  not 
now  call  you  servants;  for,  the  servant  knoweth 
not  what  his  Lord  doeth.  But  I  have  called  you 
friends,  because  all  things  whatsoever  I  have 
heard  of  My  Father  I  have  made  known  to  you."  ' 

What  a  privilege  to  be  the  herald  of  God's  law 
to  the  nations  of  the  earth !  * '  How  beautiful  on  the 
mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good 
tidings  and  that  preacheth  peace:  of  him  that 
showeth  forth  good,  that  preacheth  salvation,  that 
saith  to  Sion :  Thy  God  shall  reign."  ^  How  cher- 
ished a  favor  to  be  the  bearer  of  the  olive  branch 
of  peace  to  a  world  deluged  by  sin ;  to  be  appointed 
by  Heaven  to  proclaim  a  Gospel  which  brings 
glory  to  God,  and  peace  to  men ;  that  Gospel  which 
strengthens  the  weak,  converts  the  sinner,  recon- 
ciles enemies,  consoles  the  afflicted  heart  and  holds 
out  to  all  the  hope  of  eternal  salvation! 

I  have  often  reflected  on  a  remark  made  to  me  by 
Senator  Bayard  of  Delaware : ' '  You  of  the  clergy, ' ' 
he  said,  "have  a  great  advantage  as  public  speak- 
ers over  us  political  men.  You  enjoy  the  confi- 
dence of  your  hearers.  You  can  speak  as  long  as 
you  please,  you  can  admonish  and  rebuke  as  much 
as  you  please,  without  any  fear  of  contradiction; 
while  we  are  constantly  liable  to  interruption. ' ' 

0!  what  a  tremendous  power  is  wielded  by  the 
Catholic  preacher !  Hundreds  of  souls  are  hanging 
on  his  words;  hundreds  are  sustained  by  him  in 
spiritual  life,  and  leave  the  Church  depending  on 
him  whether  they  go  forth  fortified  with  the  Bread 
of  life,  or  famished  and  disappointed.  I  can  say  of 
every  Priest  what  Simeon  said  of  our  Lord,  '"This 
man  is  set  for  the  fall  and  the  resurrection  of  many 
in  Israel." 

1  John  XV.  15.  2  Isaiah  lii.  7. 


390  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

Not  only  are  Priests  tlie  ambassadors  of  God, 
but  they  are  also  the  dispensers  of  His  graces  and 
the  almoners  of  His  mercy.  **Let  a  man  so  re- 
gard ns,"  says  the  Apostle,  **as  ministers  of 
Christ  and  dispensers  of  the  mysteries  of  God."  * 

How  can  he  be  called  a  dispenser  of  God's  mys- 
teries whose  labors  are  confined  to  preaching? 
But  he  is  truly  a  dispenser  of  Divine  mysteries 
who  distributes  to  the  faithful  the  Sacraments,  the 
mysterious  S3rmbols  and  efficient  causes  of  grace. 

As  St.  John  Chrysostom  observes,  it  was  not  to 
angels  or  archangels,  but  to  the  Priests  of  the  New 
Law  that  Christ  said :  **  Whatsoever  you  shall  bind 
on  earth  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven ;  and  what- 
soever you  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  also 
in  heaven.'*  To  them  alone  He  gave  the  power  to 
forgive  sins,  saying:  ''Whose  sins  you  shall  for- 
give, they  are  forgiven."  To  them  alone  He  gave 
the  power  of  consecrating  His  Body  and  Blood  and 
dispensing  the  same  to  the  faithful.  He  has  em- 
powered the  Priests  of  the  New  Law  to  impart  the 
grace  of  regeneration  in  Baptism.  He  has  as- 
signed to  them  the  solemn  duty  of  preparing  the 
dying  Christian  for  his  final  journey  to  eternity: 
*'Is  any  man  sick  among  you?  Let  him  bring  in 
the  priests  of  the  Church,  and  let  them  pray  over 
him,  anointing  him  with  oil,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord.  "8 

As  far  as  heaven  is  above  earth,  as  eternity  is 
above  time,  and  the  soul  is  above  the  body,  so  far 
are  the  prerogatives  vested  in  God's  ministers 
higher  than  those  of  any  earthly  potentate.  An 
earthly  prince  can  cast  into  prison  or  release 
therefrom.  But  his  power  is  over  the  body.  He 
cannot  penetrate  into  the  sanctuary  of  the  soul; 

1 1.  Cop.  iv.  1.  a  James  v.  14. 


THE  PEIESTHOOD  391 

whereas  the  minister  of  God  can  release  the  soul 
from  the  prison  of  sin,  and  restore  it  to  the  liberty 
of  a  child  of  God. 

To  sum  up  in  a  few  brief  sentences  the  titles  of 
a  Catholic  Priest: 

He  is  a  king,  reining  not  over  unwilling  sub- 
jects, but  over  the  hearts  and  affections  of  his 
people. 

His  spiritual  children  pay  him  not  only  the  trib- 
ute of  their  money,  but  also  the  tribute  of  their 
love  which  royalty  can  neither  purchase  nor  exact. 

He  is  a  shepherd,  because  he  leads  his  flock  into 
the  delicious  pastures  of  the  Sacraments  and  shel- 
ters them  from  the  wolves  that  lie  in  wait  for  their 
souls. 

He  is  a  father,  because  he  breaks  the  bread  of 
life  to  his  spiritual  children,  whom  he  has  begotten 
in  Christ  Jesus  through  the  Gospel.^ 

He  is  a  judge,  whose  office  it  is  to  pass  sentence 
of  pardon  on  self-accusing  criminals. 

He  is  a  physician,  because  he  heals  their  souls 
from  the  loathsome  distempers  of  sin. 

St.  John,  in  his  Apocalypse,  represents  the 
Church  under  the  figure  of  a  city.  ''I  saw  the 
holy  city,  the  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down  from 
heaven,  from  God,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for 
her  husband."^  Our  Savior  is  the  Architect  and 
Founder  of  this  celestial  city.  The  Apostles  are 
its  foundation.  The  faithful  are  the  living  stones 
of  the  edifice.  The  anointed  ministers  of  the  Lord 
are  the  workmen  chosen  to  adjust  and  polish  these 
stones,  that  they  may  reflect  the  beauty  and  glory 
of  the  sun  of  justice  that  perpetually  illumines 
this  city.  The  Priests  are  engaged  in  adorning  the 
interior  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  by  enriching, 
with  virtue,  the  precious  souls  entrusted  to  theil 

1 1.  Cor.  iv.  15.  '  A.poc.  xxi,  2. 


392  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

charge.  **God  gave  some,  indeed,  Apostles,  and 
some  Prophets,  and  others  Evangelists,  and  others 
Pastors  and  Doctors,  for  the  perfecting  of  the 
saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  build- 
ing Tip  of  the  body  of  Christ,"^  which  is  His 
Church.  What  an  honor  is  this  to  the  Priest  of 
the  New  Law!  Surely  God  "hath  not  done  alike 
to  every  nation,  and  His  judgments  He  hath  not 
made  manifest  to  them."  ^ 

"With  how  much  more  force  may  we  apply  to  the 
successors  of  the  Apostles  the  words  which  God 
spoke  to  the  Priests  of  the  Old  Law:  "Hear,  ye 
sons  of  Levi.  Is  it  a  small  thing  unto  you,  that 
the  God  of  Israel  hath  separated  you  from  all  the 
people  and  joined  you  to  Himself,  that  ye  should 
serve  Him  in  the  service  of  the  tabernacle,  and 
should  stand  before  the  congregation  of  the  people 
and  minister  unto  Him  ? " 

Our  Savior  affectionately  puts  this  question 
three  times  to  Peter:  "Simon,  lovest  thou  Me?" 
And  three  times  Peter  answers  Him,  "Lord,  Thou 
knowest  that  I  love  Thee."  What  proof  of  love, 
then,  does  Jesus  exact  of  Peter?  Does  He  say:  If 
thou  lovest  Me,  chastise  thy  body  by  fasting  and 
stripes,  prophesv,  work  miracles,  lay  down  thy 
life  for  Me?  No,  but  "feed  My  lambs,"  "feed 
My  sheep."  This  was  to  be  the  closest  bond  of 
Peter's  devotion  to  his  Master,  and  of  the  Master's 
affection  for  His  disciple. 

And  our  Lord  declares  that  the  reward  of  His 
disciples  would  be  commensurate  with  the  dignity 
of  their  ministry:  "Behold,"  says  Peter,  "we 
have  left  all  things  and  have  followed  Thee.  What, 
therefore,  shall  we  have  ?  And  Jesus  said  to  them, 
Amen,  I  say  to  you  that  you  who  have  followed 
Me,  in  the  regeneration,  when  the  Son  of  man  shall 

lEph.  iv.  11,  12.  2ps.  cxlvij.  20. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  393 

sit  on  the  seat  of  His  majest}-,  you  shall  also  sit 
on  twelve  seats,  iud,2:iiig  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel."  And  immediately  after  He  adds  that 
the  worthy  successors  of  the  Apostles  shall  share 
in  their  felicity:  "And  every  one  that  hath  left 
house,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother, 
or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands  for  my  name's  sake 
shall  receive  a  hundredfold  and  shall  possess  life 
everlasting. ' '  ^ 

I  know  that  there  are  many  in  our  days  who 
deny  that  Priests  possess  any  spiritual  power — 
as  if  God  could  not  communicate  such  power  to 
men.  I  understand  why  atheists  and  rationalists, 
who  reject  all  revelation,  should  deny  all  super- 
natural authority  to  the  ministers  of  God.  But 
that  professing  Christians  who  accept  the  testi- 
mony of  Scripture  should  share  in  this  unbelief 
passes  my  comprehension. 

Has  not  the  Almighty,  in  numberless  instances 
recorded  in  Holy  Writ,  made  man  the  instrument 
of  His  power?  Did  not  Moses  convert  the  rivers 
of  Egypt  into  blood?  Did  he  not  cause  water  to 
issue  from  the  barren  rock?  Did  not  the  prophets 
predict  future  events  ?  Did  not  the  smi  stand  still 
in  the  heavens  at  the  command  of  Josue  ?  Did  not 
Eliseus,  the  prophet,  raise  the  dead  to  life!  Why 
do  we  believe  all  these  prodigies?  Because  the 
Scriptures  record  them.  Does  not  the  same  Word 
of  God  declare  that  the  Apostles  received  power 
to  confer  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  imposition  of 
hands,  to  forgive  sins,  to  consecrate  the  Body  and 
Blood  of  Christ,  etc.  Is  not  the  New  Testament  as 
worthy  of  belief  as  the  Old  ?  Has  not  Jesus  Christ 
solemnly  promised  to  be  always  with  the  ministers 
of  His  Church,  ' '  even  to  the  consummation  of  the 
world, ' '  strengthening  them  to  repeat  those  mira- 
cles of  mercy  that  were  wrought  by  His  first  dis- 

1  Matt.  xix.  27-29. 


394  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

ciples?  Can  the  God  of  truth  be  unfaithful  to 
His  promises?  Is  He  not  as  strong  and  merciful 
now  as  He  was  in  days  of  the  Prophets  and  Apos- 
tles, and  are  not  we  as  much  in  need  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  as  the  primitive  Christians  were?  If  God 
could  make  feeble  men  the  ministers  of  His  mercy 
then,  why  not  now  ? 

But  should  a  Priest  consider  himself  greater 
than  other  men  because  he  exercises  such  author- 
ity? Far  from  it.  He  ought  to  humble  himself 
beneath  others  when  he  reflects  to  what  weak 
hands  God  assigns  power  so  tremendous.  He 
should  remember  what  our  Savior  said  to  the  sev- 
enty-two disciples,  who,  returning  with  joy  from 
their  first  mission,  cried  out  to  Him:  "Lord,  even 
the  devils  are  subject  to  us  in  Thy  name."  But 
Jesus  checked  their  vain-glory,  saying:  "I  saw 
Satan  like  lightning  fall  from  heaven.  Behold,  I 
have  given  you  power  .  .  .  but  rejoice  not  in  this, 
that  spirits  are  subject  to  you;  but  rejoice  in  this, 
that  your  names  are  written  in  heaven. ' '  ^  The 
Priest  does  not  forget  that  "the  most  severe 
judgment  shall  be  for  them  that  bear  rule,"^  and 
that  judgment  should  begin  at  the  house  of  God. ' '  ^ 
The  words  of  the  Apostle  are  present  to  his  mind : 
"What  hast  thou  that  thou  hast  not  received? 
And  if  thou  hast  received,  why  dost  thou  glory  as 
if  thou  hadst  not  received  it  ? "  ^  As  well  might 
the  vessel  that  is  filled  with  precious  liquor  boast 
of  being  superior  to  the  vessel  that  is  filled  with 
water.  The  Priest  knows  full  well  that  the  powers 
he  has  received  from  God  are  given  to  him  not  to 
feed  his  own  vanity,  but  to  enrich  the  hearts  of  the 
faithful ;  and  that,  though  instrumental  in  pointing 
out  to  others  the  way  to  heaven,  he  himself,  unless 
adorned   with   personal   virtues,    will   become    a 

1  Luke  X.  18,  20.  2  wisd.  vi.  6.  3  X.  Pet.  iv.  17. 

*  I.  Cor.  iv.  7. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  395 

reprobate,  like  those  unhappy  Priests  of  Jerusa- 
lem who  directed  the  Magi  to  Jesus  in  Bethlehem, 
but  did  not  go  thither  themselves. 

*'I  have  planted,"  says  the  Apostle,  ''Apollo 
watered,  but  God  gave  the  increase.  Therefore, 
neither  he  that  planteth  is  anything,  nor  he  that 
watereth,  but  God  that  giveth  the  increase. ' '  ^  We 
perform  the  outward  ceremony;  God  alone  sup- 
plies the  grace. 

The  obligations  of  the  minister  of  God  are,  there- 
fore commensurate  with  his  exalted  dignity. 

The  Priest  is  required  to  be  a  man  of  profound 
learning  and  of  solid  piety.  "The  lips  of  the 
Priest  shall  keep  knowledge,  and  they  (the  people) 
shall  seek  the  law  at  his  mouth. ' '  ^  The  Lord  de- 
nounces the  Priests  of  the  Old  Law  because  they 
neglected  to  study  the  Sacred  Sciences:  "Because 
thou  hast  rejected  knowledge,  I  will  reject  thee, 
that  thou  shalt  not  do  the  office  of  priesthood  for 
Me,  and  thou  hast  forgotten  the  law  of  thy  God,  I 
will  also  forget  thy  children. ' '  ^ 

"To  you,"  says  our  Lord  to  His  Apostles,  "it  is 
given  to  know  the  mystery  of  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
to  the  rest,  in  parables."  The  Priests  of  the  New 
Law,  like  the  Apostles,  are  the  custodians  of  the 
mysteries  of  religion. 

Now  we  know  that  the  knowledge  of  God's  King- 
dom is  not  imparted  to  us  by  inspiration  or  revela- 
tion. Christ  does  not  personally  teach  us  as  He 
taught  His  Apostles.  It  is  by  hard  study  that  the 
knowledge  of  His  law  is  acquired  by  us.  He  does 
not  lift  us  up  on  Angels'  wings  to  the  spiritual 
Parnassus.  It  is  only  by  the  royal  road  of  earnest 
labor  that  we  can  attain  those  heights  which  will 
enable  us  to  contemplate  the  Kingdom  of  heaven 
and  describe  it  to  others. 
iCor.  iii.  6,  7,  2  Malach.  iL  7,  SQsee.  iv.  6. 


396  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

As  physician  of  the  soul,  he  must  be  conversant 
with  its  various  distempers  and  must  know  what 
remedy  is  to  be  applied  in  each  particular  case.  If 
society  justly  holds  the  unskilful  physician  respon- 
sible for  the  fatal  consequences  of  his  malpractice, 
surely  Grod  will  call  to  a  strict  account  the  spiritual 
physician  who,  through  criminal  ignorance,  pre- 
scribes injudicious  remedies  to  the  souls  of  the 
patients  committed  to  his  charge. 

As  judge  of  souls,  he  must  know  when  to  bind 
and  when  to  loose,  when  to  defer  and  when  to  pro- 
nounce sentence  of  absolution.  If  nothing  is  so 
disastrous  to  the  Republic  as  an  incompetent 
judge,  whose  decisions,  though  involving  life  and 
death,  are  rendered  at  hap-hazard  and  not  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  merits  of  the  case,  so  nothing  is 
more  detrimental  to  the  Christian  commonwealth 
than  an  ignorant  priesthood,  whose  decisions  in- 
juriously affect  the  salvation  of  souls. 

The  advocate  in  our  courts  of  justice  feels  bound 
in  conscience  and  in  honor  to  study  the  case  of  his 
client  with  the  utmost  diligence,  and  to  defend  him 
before  the  jury  with  all  the  eloquence  he  can  mas- 
ter. And  yet  the  suit  may  not  involve  more  than 
a  brief  imprisonment  or  even  a  limited  fine. 
J  But  the  Priest,  like  Moses,  stands  before  God 
to  intercede  for  His  people,  and  before  the  people 
to  advocate  the  cause  of  God.  He  not  only  ascends 
daily  the  altar  to  plead  for  the  people  and  to  cry 
out  with  the  prophet,  ' '  Spare,  0  Lord,  spare  Thy 
people,  and  give  not  Thy  inheritance  to  re- 
proach;" but  every  Sunday  he  mounts  the  pulpit 
to  vindicate  the  claims  which  God  has  on  His 
subjects.  Certainly,  if  an  attorney  is  bound  to 
study  his  client's  cause  before  he  defends  it,  no 
matter  how  trifling  the  issue,  how  much  more  im- 
perative is  the  obligation  of  the  Priest  to  study 


THE  TRIESTHOOD  397 

well  his  case,  when  he  reflects  that  an  immortal 
soul  is  on  trial,  and  before  men  who  are  often  the 
worst  enemies  of  their  own  soul.  He  has  to  con- 
vince the  people  that  the  narrow  road,  which  their 
inclinations  abhor,  is  to  be  followed;  and  that  the 
broad  road,  which  their  self-love  and  their  pas- 
sions tend  to  pursue,  is  to  be  abandoned.  Convic- 
tion in  this  case  requires  rare  tact  as  well  as  elo- 
quence and  learning. 

But  the  minister  of  religion  has  to  defend  the 
soul  not  only  against  the  corruptions  of  the  heart, 
but  also  against  those  doctrinal  errors  that  are 
daily  springing  up  in  every  direction,  and  which 
are  plausibly  preached  by  false  teachers,  who 
bring  to  their  support  the  most  specious  argu- 
ments, couched  in  the  most  attractive  language. 
To  refute  these  errors  often  requires  the  most 
consummate  skill  and  a  profound  knowledge  of 
history  and  the  Holy  Scripture. 

It  is  no  wonder,  then,  that  the  Church  insists 
that  her  clergy  be  educated  men.  Hence  our  ec- 
clesiastical students  are  usually  obliged  to  devote 
from  ten  to  fourteen  years  to  the  diligent  study  of 
the  modern  and  ancient  languages,  of  history  and 
philosophy,  of  the  great  science  of  theology  and 
Holy  Scripture,  before  they  are  elevated  to  the 
sacred  ministry. 

It  is  true,  indeed,  that,  owing  to  the  rapidly- 
increasing  demand  for  clergy  in  the  United  States, 
our  Bishops  have  hitherto  been  sometimes  com- 
pelled to  abridge  the  course  of  studies  of  the  can- 
didates for  the  ministry;  but  now  that  the  Church 
is  more  thoroughly  organized,  and  that  seminaries 
are  multiplied  among  us,  they  are  happily  enabled 
to  extend  to  their  young  levites  the  advantages  of 
a  full  term  of  literary  and  theological  training. 

If  the  Priest  should  be  eminent  for  his  learning, 


398  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

lie  should  be  still  more  conspicuous  for  his  virtua^^ 
for  he  is  expected  to  preach  more  by  example  than 
by  precept.  If  in  the  Old  Law  God  charged  His 
Priests  with  the  admonition:  **Be  sanctified,  ye 
that  carry  the  vessels  of  the  Lord,"  ^  how  much 
more  strictly  is  holiness  of  life  enjoined  on  the 
Priests  of  the  New  Dispensation,  who  not  only 
touch  the  sacred  vessels,  but  drink  from  them  the 
Precious  Blood  of  the  Lord? 

"Purer,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  ''than  any  solar 
ray  should  that  hand  be  which  divides  that  flesh, 
that  mouth  which  is  filled  with  spiritual  fire,  that- 
tongue  which  is  purpled  with  that  most  awful 
blood." 

In  order  to  foster  in  us  the  spirit  of  personal 
piety,  we  are  constantly  admonished  by  the  Church 
to  be  men  of  prayer.  The  Priest  should  be  like 
those  angels  whom  Jacob  saw  in  a  vision,  ascend- 
ing to  heaven  and  descending  therefrom  on  the 
mystical  ladder.  He  is  expected  to  ascend  by 
prayer  and  to  descend  by  preaching.  He  ascends 
to  heaven  to  receive  light  from  God;  he  descends 
to  communicate  that  light  to  his  hearers.  Hw 
ascends  to  draw  at  the  Fountain  of  Divine  grace, 
he  descends  to  diffuse  those  living  waters  among 
the  faithful,  that  their  hearts  may  be  refreshed. 
He  ascends  to  light  his  torch  at  the  ever-burning 
furnace  of  Divine  love;  he  descends  to  communi- 
cate the  flame  to  the  souls  of  his  people. 

The  Church,  indeed,  considers  prayer  so  indis- 
pensable to  her  clergy  that,  besides  the  voluntary 
exwcises  of  piety  which  their  private  devotion 
m^vy  suggest,  she  requires  them  to  devote  at  least 
an  hour  each  day  to  the  recitation  of  the  Divine 
Office,  which  chiefly  consists  of  the  Psalms  and  other 
portions  of  Holy  Scripture,  theHomilies  of  the  early 
[Fathers  and  prayers  of  marvelous  force  and  unction. 
Usalah  Hi.  11. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

CELIBACY  OF  THE  CLERGY. 

THE  Church  requires  her  Priests  to  be  pure  in 
body  as  well  as  in  soul,  and  to  "present  their 
bodies  a  living  victim,  holy,  well-pleasing 
unto  God.'' 1 

Our  Savior  and  His  Apostles,  though  recogniz- 
ing matrimony  as  a  holy  state,  have  proclaimed  the 
superior  merits  of  voluntary  continency,  jr.ar- 
ticularly  for  those  who  consecrate  their  li/^s  to 
the  sacred  ministry.  "There  are  eunuchs  who 
have  made  themselves  such  for  the  Kingjom  of 
Heaven's  sake.  He  who  can  take  it,  let  him  take 
it. "  ^  Our  Lord  evidently  recommends  here  the 
state  of  celibacy  to  such  as  feel  themselves  called 
to  embrace  it,  in  order  to  attain  greater  perfection. 

St.  Paul  gives  the  reason  why  our  Savior  de- 
clares continency  to  be  a  more  suitable  state  for 
His  ministers  than  that  of  matrimony:  "He  who 
is  unmarried  careth  for  the  things  of  the  Lord — 
how  he  may  please  God.  But  he  who  is  married 
is  solicitous  about  the  things  of  the  world — hoi' 
he  may  please  his  wife — and  he  is  divided."  ^ 

Jesus  Christ  manifestly  showed  His  predilectioj; 
for  virginity,  not  only  by  always  remaining  a  vir- 
gin ,  but  by  selecting  a  Virgin-Mother  and  a  vir- 
gin-precursor in  the  person  of  St.  John  the  Bap- 
tist, and  by  exhibiting  a  special  effection  for  John 
*Rom.  xii.  1.  'Matt.  xix.  12.  •!.  Cor.  vii-  32,  33. 

399 


400  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

the  Evangelist,  because,  as  St.  Augustine  testifies, 
that  Apostle  was  chosen  a  virgin  and  such  he  al- 
ways remained. 

Not  only  did  our  Lord  thus  manifest  while  on 
earth  a  marked  predilection  for  virgins,  but  He 
exhibits  the  same  preference  for  them  in  heaven; 
for  the  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  who  are 
chosen  to  sing  the  New  Canticle  and  who  follow 
the  Lamb  whithersoever  He  goeth  are  all  virgins, 
as  St.  John  testifies.     (Apoc.  xiv.) 

The  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  assures  us  that  he 
led  a  single  life,  and  he  commends  that  state  to 
others :  "I  say  to  the  unmarried,  and  to  the 
widows  it  is  good  for  them  if  they  so  continue,  even 
asL"i 

There  is  no  evidence  from  Scripture  that  any  of 
the  Apostles  were  married  except  St.  Peter.  St. 
Jerome  says  that  if  any  were  married  they  cer- 
tainly separated  from  their  wives  after  they  were 
called  to  the  Apostolate.  Even  St.  Peter,  after  his 
vocation,  did  not  continue  with  his  wife,  as  may 
be  inferred  from  his  own  words:  ''Behold,  we 
have  left  all  things,  and  followed  Thee."  ^  Among 
''all  things"  must  be  reckoned  the  fellowship  of 
his  wife,  for  he  could  hardly  say  with  truth  that 
he  had  left  all  things  if  he  had  not  left  his  wife. 
Our  Savior  immediately  after  enumerates  the  wife 
among  those  cherished  objects,  the  renunciation  of 
which,  for  His  sake,  will  have  its  reward.^ 

St.  Paul  declares  that  "a  Bishop  must  be  sober, 
just,  holy,  continent. ' '  ^  And  writing  to  Timothy, 
whom  he  had  consecrated  Bishop,  he  says:  "Be 
thou  an  example  to  the  faithful  ...  in  charity,  in 
faith,  in  cliastity."  ^  In  another  place,  he  enu- 
merates chastity  among  the  virtues  that  should 

*I.  Cor.  vii.  a  ^'Matt.  xix.  27.  "Ibid.,  xlx.  29. 

♦Tit  I  8.  ^I.  Tim.  iv.  12. 


CELIBACY  OF  THP]  CLERGY  401 

adorn  the  Christian  minister :  * '  In  all  things  let  us 
exhibit  ourselves  as  the  ministers  of  Grod  in  much 
patience,  ...  in  chastit3\ ' '  ^ 

Although  celibacy  is  not  expressly  enforced  by 
our  Savior,  it  is,  however,  commended  so  strongly 
by  Himself  and  His  Apostles,  both  by  word  and 
example,  that  the  Church  felt  it  her  duty  to  lay  it 
down  as  a  law. 

The  discipline  of  the  Church  has  been  exerted 
from  the  beginning  in  prohibiting  Priests  to  marry 
after  their  ordination.  St.  Jerome  observes  that 
''Bishops,  Priests  and  Deacons  are  chosen  from 
virgins  or  widowers,  or,  at  least,  they  remain  per- 
petually chaste  after  being  elevated  to  the  priest- 
hood."- To  Jovinian  he  writes:  "You  certainly 
admit  that  he  cannot  remain  a  Bishop  who  begets 
children  in  the  episcopacy ;  for,  if  convicted,  he  will 
not  be  esteemed  as  a  husband,  but  condemned  as 
an  adulterer."'  Again  he  says:  "What  will  the 
churches  of  the  East,  of  Egypt  and  of  the  Apos- 
tolic See  do,  whicli  adopt  their  clergy  from  among 
virgins,  or  if  they  have  wives,  they  cease  to  live  as 
married  men. ' '  ^ 

St.  Epiphanius  declares  that  "he  who  leads  a 
married  life  is  not  admitted  by  the  Church  to  the 
order  of  Deacon,  Priest,  Bishop  or  sub-Deacon."  ^ 

In  the  primitive  days  of  the  Church,  owing  to  the 
scarcity  of  vocations  among  the  unmarried,  mar- 
ried men  were  admitted  to  sacred  orders,  but  they 
were  enjoined,  as  we  learn  from  various  canons, 
to  live  separated  from  their  wives  after  their 
ordination. 

This  discipline,  it  is  true,  was  relaxed  to  some 

extent  Id  favor  of  a  portion  of  the  clergy  of  the 

Oriental  Church,  who  were  permitted  to  live  with 

'II.  Cor.  vf.  46.        'Ep.  ad  Pammach.        'Adv.  Jovin.,  lib.  1. 

*  Adv.  Vigilantiuiu.  "  Ilieres.  59,  c.  4. 


403  THE  EAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

their  wives  if  they  happened  to  espouse  them  be- 
fore ordination ;  but,  like  the  Priests  of  the  West- 
ern Church,  the  Eastern  clergy  were  forbidden  to 
contract  marriage  after  their  ordination.  It  is 
important  also  to  observe  that  the  unmarried 
clergy  of  the  East  are  held  in  much  higher  esteem 
by  the  people  than  the  married  Priests. 

It  cannot,  indeed,  be  denied  that  at  certain 
epochs  of  the  Church's  history,  especially  in 
periods  of  disordered  society,  there  were  too  many 
instances  of  the  violation  of  clerical  celibacy.  But 
the  repeated  violations  of  a  law  are  no  evidence  of 
its  non-existence.  Whenever  the  voice  of  the 
Church  could  be  heard  it  always  spoke  in  vindica- 
tion of  the  law  of  priestly  chastity. 

Let  me  now  call  your  attention  to  the  propriety 
and  advantages  of  clerical  celibacy. 

First — The  Priest  is  the  representative  of  Jesus 
Christ.  He  continues  the  work  begun  by  his 
Divine  Master.  It  is  his  duty  to  preach  the  word, 
to  administer  the  Sacraments,  and,  above  all,  to 
consecrate  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ  and  to 
distribute  the  same  to  the  faithful.  Is  it  not  be- 
coming that  a  chaste  Lord  should  be  served  by 
chaste  ministers  1 

If  the  Jewish  Priests,  while  engaged  in  their 
turn  in  offering  the  sacrifice  of  animals  in  the 
Temple,  were  obliged  to  keep  apart  from  their 
wives,  should  not  the  Priests  of  the  New  Law,  who 
offer  daily  the  sacrifice  of  the  Immaculate  Lamb, 
practise  continual  chastity"? 

If  David  and  his  friends  were  not  permitted  to 
eat  the  bread  of  Proposition  till  he  had  avowed 
that  for  the  three  preceding  days  they  had  re- 
frained from  women, ^  how  pure  in  body  and  soul 
should  be  the  Priest  who  d?.ily  partakes  of  that 

*  1.  Kings  xxi. 


CELIBACY  OF  THE  CLERGY  403 

living  Bread  of  which  the  bread  of  Proposition 

was  but  the  type ;  and  if  the  people  at  Mount  Sinai 
were  forbidden  to  come  near  their  wives  for  three 
days  before  receiving  the  Law/  should  not  they 
whose  office  it  is  to  preach  the  Law  at  all  times 
abstain  altogether  ? 

Thorndyke,  an  eminent  Protestant  Divine,  in 
his  work  entitled,  Just  Weights  and  Measures, 
makes  the  following  observation :  "The  reason  for 
single  life  for  the  clergy  is  firmly  grounded,  by  the 
Fathers  and  canons  of  the  Church,  upon  the  pre- 
cept of  St.  Paul,  forbidding  man  and  wife  to  de- 
part unless  for  a  time,  to  attend  unto  prayer  (1 
Cor.  vii.  5).  For,  Priests  and  Deacons  being  con- 
tinually to  attend  upon  occasions  of  celebrating 
the  Eucharist,  which  ought  continually  to  be  fre- 
quented; if  others  be  to  abstain  from  the  use  of 
marriage  for  a  time,  then  they  always."  - 

Second — Writers  frequently  discuss  the  secret 
cause  of  the  marvelous  success  which  marks  the 
growth  of  the  Catholic  Church  everywhere  in  spite 
of  the  most  formidable  opposition.  Some  ascribe 
this  progress  to  her  thorough  organization;  others 
to  the  far-seeing  wisdom  of  her  chief  pastors. 
Without  undervaluing  these  and  other  auxiliaries, 
I  incline  to  the  belief  that,  under  God,  the  Church 
has  no  tower  of  strength  more  potent  than  the 
celibacy  of  her  clergy.  The  unmarried  Priest,  as 
St.  Paul  observes  (1  Cor.  vii.),  is  free  to  give  his 
whole  time  undivided  to  the  Lord,  and  can  devote 
his  attention  not  to  one  or  two  children,  but  to  the 
entire  flock  whom  he  has  begotten  in  Christ  Jesus, 
through  the  Gospel ;  while  the  married  minister  is 
divided  between  the  cares  of  his  family  and  his 
duties  to  the  congregation.  "A  single  life,"  says 
Bacon,  "doth  well  with  churchmen;  for,  charity 
*  Exod.  six.  » Page  239. 


^04  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

vpill  hardly  water  the  ground  where  it  must  first 
fillapooL"! 

Third — The  world  has  hitherto  been  converted 
by  unmarried  clergymen,  and  only  by  them  will  it 
continue  to  be  converted.  St.  Francis  Xavier  and 
St.  Francis  de  Sales  could  not  have  planted  the 
faith  in  so  many  thousands  of  souls  if  they  were 
accompanied  on  their  journeys  by  their  wives  and 
children.  Of  all  the  gems  that  adorn  the  priestly 
diadem,  none  is  so  precious  and  indispensable  in 
the  eyes  of  the  people  as  the  peerless  jewel  of 
chastity.  Without  this  pearl  the  voice  of  a  Hya- 
cinthe  ''becomes  as  sounding  brass  and  a  tinkling 
cymbal;"  with  it,  the  humblest  missioner  gains 
the  hearts  of  multitudes. 

Everybody  is  aware  of  the  numerous  conver- 
sions to  Christianity  effected  by  St.  Francis 
Xavier  in  Japan  in  the  sixteenth  century.  After 
the  lapse  of  many  years  from  the  death  of  St. 
Francis,  when  a  French  squadron  was  permitted 
to  enter  the  Japanese  ports,  a  native  Christian, 
named  Peter,  having  learned  that  French  Priests 
were  on  board,  put  their  faith  to  the  test  by  pro- 
posing to  them  these  three  questions:  "Are  you 
followers  of  the  great  Father  in  Eome?  Do  you 
honor  Mary,  the  Blessed  Virgin?  Have  you 
wives'?"  The  French  priests  having  satisfied 
their  interrogator  on  these  points,  and  especially 
on  the  last,  Peter  and  his  companions  fell  at  the 
missioners'  feet,  exclaiming  with  delight: 
*' Thanks,  thanks!  they  are  virgins  and  true  dis- 
ciples of  our  Apostle  Francis."  - 

A  contemporary  writer  has  wittily  remarked 
that  ''perhaps  the  most  ardent  admirer  of  hymen- 
eal rites  would  cheerfully  admit  that  he  could  not 

^Essays,  p.  17. 

-  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  March,  1868. 


CELIBACY  OF  THL  CLERGY'  405 

conceive  St.  Paul  or  St.  John  starting  on  a  nuptial 
tour,  accompanied  by  the  latest  fashions  from 
Athens  or  Ephesus,  and  the  graceful  brides  whom 
they  were  destined  to  adorn.  They  would  feel 
that  Christianity  itself  could  not  survive  such  a 
vision  as  that.  Nor  could  the  imagination,  in  its 
wildest  moods,  picture  the  majestic  adversary  of 
the  Arian  Emperor  attended  in  his  flight  up  the 
Nile  by  Mistress  Alhanasius,  nor  St.  John  Chrys- 
ostom  escorted  in  his  wanderings  through  Phry- 
gia  by  the  wife  of  his  bosom  arrayed  in  a  wreath 
of  orange-blossoms.  Would  Ethelbert  have  be- 
come a  Christian  if  St.  Augustine  had  introduced 
to  him  his  lady  and  her  bridesmaids  ? "  * 

We  frequently  hear  of  unmarried  Bishops  and 
Priests  laying  down  their  lives  for  the  faith  in 
China  and  Corea  and  imprisoned  in  Germany. 
Heroic  sacrifices  such  as  these  are,  however,  too 
much  to  be  expected  from  men  enjoying  the  do- 
mestic luxury  and  engrossed  by  the  responsibility 
of  a  wife  and  children. 

But  does  not  St.  Paul  authorize  the  marriage  of 
the  clergy  when  he  says :  ' '  Have  we  not  power  to 
carry  about  a  woman,  a  sister,  as  well  as  the  rest 
of  the  Apostles?"-  The  Protestant  text  mis- 
translates this  passage  by  substituting  the  word 
wife  for  woman.  It  is  evident  that  St.  Paul  does 
not  speak  here  of  his  wife,  since  he  had  none ;  but 
he  alludes  to  those  pious  women  who  voluntarily 
waited  on  the  Apostles,  and  ministered  to  them  in 
their  missionary  journeys. 

It  is  also  objected  that  the  Apostle  se^ems  to  re- 
quire that  a  Bishop  be  *Hhe  husband  of  one 
wife."^  The  context  certainly  cannoi  mean  tliat 
a  Bishop  must  be  a  married  man,  for  the  reason 
*  Marshall,  Comedy  of  Convocation. 

»I.  Cor.  is.  5.  °I.  Tim.  iii.  2. 


406  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

already  given,  that  St.  Paul  himself  was  never 
married.  The  sense  of  the  text,  as  all  tradition 
testifies,  is  that  no  candidate  should  be  elected  to 
the  office  of  Bishop  who  had  been  married  more 
than  once.  It  was  not  possible  in  those  days  al- 
ways to  select  single  men  for  the  Episcopal  office. 
Hence  the  Church  was  often  compelled  to  choose 
married  persons,  but  always  with  this  restriction, 
that  they  had  never  contracted  nuptials  a  second 
time.  They  were  obliged,  moreover,  if  not  widow- 
ers, to  live  separated  from  their  wives. 

Others  adduce  against  clerical  celibacy  these 
words  of  St.  Paul :  "  In  the  last  times  some  shall 
depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  spirits  of 
error,  .  .  .  ^orbidding  to  marry. "  ^  This  passage, 
however,  alludes  to  the  Ebionites,  Gnostics  and 
Manicheans,  who  positively  taught  that  marriage 
is  sinful.  The  Catholic  Church,  on  the  contrary, 
holds  that  matrimony  is  not  only  a  lawful  state, 
for  those  who  are  called  to  embrace  it,  but  that  it 
is  also  a  Sacrament,  and  that  the  highest  degree 
of  holiness  is  attainable  in  conjugal  life. 

Some  go  so  far  as  to  declare  continency  imprac- 
ticable. Our  dissenting  brethren  in  the  ministry 
are  so  uxoriously  inclined  that,  perhaps,  for  this 
reason  they  dispute  the  possibility,  as  well  as  the 
privilege,  of  Priests  to  remain  single.  But  in 
making  this  assertion  they  impugn  the  wisdom 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  His  Apostle,  who  lived  in  this 
state  and  recommended  it  to  others ;  they  slander 
consecrated  Priests  and  nuns,  and  they  unwit- 
tingly question  the  purity  of  their  own  unmarried 
sisters,  daughters  and  sons.  How  many  men  and 
women  are  there  in  the  world  who  spend  years, 
nay,  their  whole  lives,  in  the  single  state?    And 

» I.  Tim.  iv.  1-3. 


CELIBACY  OF  THE  CLEEGY  407 

who  shall  dare  to  accuse  such  a  multitude  of  in- 

continency  1 

Nor  should  any  one  complain  of  the  severity  of 
the  law  of  clerical  celibacy,  since  the  candidate  vol- 
untarily accepts  the  obligations  after  mature  con- 
sideration. 

Finally,  it  cannot  be  urged  against  celibacy  that 
it  violates  the  Divine  precept  to  'increase  and 
multiply;"  for  this  command  surely  cannot  re- 
quire all  marriageable  persons  to  be  united  in  wed- 
lock. Otherwise,  bachelors  and  spinsters  would 
also  be  guilty  of  violating  the  law.  The  number 
of  men  and  women  consecrated  to  God  by  vows  of 
chastity  forms  but  an  imperceptible  fraction  of  the 
human  family,  their  proportion  in  the  United 
States,  for  instance,  being  only  one  individual  to 
about  every  four  thousand.  Moreover,  it  is  an 
incontrovertible  fact  that  the  population  increases 
most  in  those  countries  in  which  the  Catholic 
clergy  exercise  the  strongest  influence;  for  there 
married  people  are  impressed  with  the  idea  that 
marriage  was  instituted  not  for  the  gratification  of 
the  flesh,  but  for  the  procreation  and  Christian 
education  of  children. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

MATRIMONY. 

MATRIMONY  is  not  only  a  natural  contract 
between  husband  and  wife,  but  it  has  been 
elevated  for  Christians,  by  Jesus  Christ, 
to  the  dignity  of  a  Sacrament:  ''Husbands,"  says 
the  Apostle,  "love  your  wives,  as  Christ  also 
loved  the  Church  and  delivered  Himself  up  for  it, 
...  so  also  ought  men  to  love  their  wives  as  their 
own  bodies.  .  .  .  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave 
his  father  and  mother,  and  shall  adhere  to  his 
wife  and  they  shall  be  one  flesh.  This  is  a  great 
sacrament:  but  I  speak  in  Christ  and  in  the 
Church."! 

In  these  words  the  Apostle  declares  that  the 
union  of  Christ  with  His  Church  is  the  type  or 
model  of  the  bond  subsisting  between  man  and 
wife.  Now  the  union  between  Christ  and  His 
Church  is  supernatural  and  sealed  by  Divine 
grace.  Hence,  also,  is  the  fellowship  of  a  Chris- 
tion  husband  and  wife  cemented  by  the  grace  of 
God.  The  wedded  couple  are  bound  to  love  one 
another  during  their  whole  lives,  as  Christ  has 
loved  His  Church,  and  to  discharge  the  virtues 
proper  to  the  married  state.  In  order  to  fulfil 
these  duties  special  graces  of  our  Savior  are  re- 
quired. 

The  Fathers,   Councils   and  Liturgies   of  the 

*  Ephes.  V.  25-32. 

408 


MATRIMONY  409 

Western  and  tlie  Oriental  Clmrches,  including  the 
Coptic,  Jacobite,  Syriac,  Nestorian  and  other  schis- 
matic bodies,  which  for  upwards  of  fourteen  cen- 
turies have  been  separated  from  the  Catholic  com- 
munion, all  agree  in  recognizing  Christian  mar- 
riage as  a  Sacrament. 

Hence  the  Council  of  Trent,  speaking  of  Matri- 
mony, says:  "Christ  Himself,  the  Institutor  and 
Perfector  of  the  venerable  sacraments,  merited 
for  us  by  His  passion  the  grace  which  might  per- 
fect that  natural  love,  and  confirm  that  indis- 
soluble imion,  and  sanctify  the  married;  as  the 
Apostle  Paul  intimates,  saying:  'Husbands,  love 
your  wives,  as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and 
delivered  Himself  for  it;'  adding  shortly  after: 
'This  is  a  great  sacrament,  but  I  speak  in  Christ 
and  in  the  Church.'  (Ephes,  v.)  Whereas,  there- 
fore matrimony,  in  the  evangelical  law,  excels  in 
grace,  through  Christ,  the  ancient  marriages ;  with 
reason  have  our  holy  Fathers  and  Councils  and 
the  tradition  of  the  universal  Church  always 
taught  that  it  is  to  be  numbered  among  the  sacra- 
ments of  the  new  law. ' '  ^ 

The  Gospel  forbids  a  man  to  have  more  than 
one  wife,  and  a  wife  to  have  more  than  one  hus- 
band. "Have  you  not  read,"  says  our  Savior, 
"that  He  who  made  man  in  the  beginning  made 
them  male  and  female?  And  He  said,  for  this 
cause  shall  a  man  leave  father  and  mother,  and 
shall  cleave  unto  his  ivife,  and  they  two  shall  he 
in  one  flesh.  Wherefore  they  are  no  more  two, 
but  one  flesh."  ^  Our  Lord  recalls  marriage  to 
its  primitive  institution  as  it  was  ordained  by 
Almighty  God.  (Gen.  ii.)  Now,  marriage  in  ita 
primitive  ordinance  was  the  union  of  one  man 
with  one  woman,  for  Jehovah  created  but  one  help- 

*Ses«.  xilv.  'Matt.  xix.  4-6. 


410  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

mate  to  Adam.  He  would  have  created  more,  if  His 
design  had  been  to  establish  polygamy.  The  Scrip- 
ture says  that  ''man  shall  adhere  to  his  ivife" — 
not  his  ivives.  It  does  not  declare  that  they  shall 
be  three  or  more,  but  that  "they  shall  be  two  in 
one  flesh. ' ' 

Hence  Mormonism,  unhappily  so  prevalent  in 
the  United  States,  is  at  variance  with  the  plain 
teachings  of  the  Gospel,  and  is  consequently  con- 
demned by  the  Catholic  Church  Polygamy,  wher- 
ever it  exists,  cannot  fail  to  be  a  perpetual  source 
of  family  discord  and  feuds.  It  fosters  deadly 
jealousy  and  hate  among  the  wives  of  the  same 
household ;  it  deranges  the  laws  of  succession  and 
primogeniture  and  breeds  rivalry  among  the  chil- 
dren, each  endeavoring  to  supplant  the  other  in 
the  affections  and  the  inheritance  of  their  com- 
mon father. 

Marriage  is  the  most  inviolable  and  irrevocable 
'  of  all  contracts  that  were  ever  formed.  Every 
human  compact  may  be  lawfully  dissolved  but 
this.  Nations  may  be  justified  in  abrogating 
treaties  with  each  other;  merchants  may  dissolve 
partnerships;  brothers  will  eventually  leave  the 
paternal  roof,  and,  like  Jacob  and  Esau,  separate 
from  one  another.  Friends,  like  Abraham  and 
Lot,  may  be  obliged  to  part  company.  But  by  the 
law  of  God  the  bond  uniting  husband  and  wife 
can  be  dissolved  only  by  death.  No  earthly  sword 
can  sever  the  nuptial  knot  which  the  Lord  has 
tied;  for,  "what  God  hath  joined  together,  let  no 
man  put  asunder. ' ' 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  three  of  the  Evangel- 
ists, as  well  as  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  pro- 
claim the  indissolubility  of  marriage  and  forbid 
a  ,c^edded  person  to  engage  in  second  wedlock 
during  the  life  of  his  spouse.    There  is,  indeed, 


MATEIMO:^Y  411 

scarcely  a  moral  precept  more  strongly  enforced 
in  the  Gospel  than  the  indissoluble  character  oi' 
marriage  validly  contracted. 

*'The  Pharisees  came  to  Jesns,  tempting  Him 
and  saying:  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put 
away  his  wife  for  every  cause?  "\\^o,  answering, 
said  to  them:  Have  ye  not  read  that  He  who 
made  man  from  the  beginning  made  them  male 
and  female?  And  He  said:  For  this  cause  shall 
a  man  leave  father  and  mother,  and  shall  cleave 
to  his  wife,  and  they  two  shall  be  one  flesh. 
Therefore  now  they  are  not  two,  but  one  flesh. 
What,  therefore,  God  hath  joined  together  let  no 
man  put  asunder.  They  say  to  Him :  Why,  then, 
did  Moses  command  to  give  a  bill  of  divorce  and 
to  put  away?  He  said  to  them :  Because  Moses, 
by  reason  of  the  hardness  of  your  heart,  per- 
mitted you  to  put  away  your  wives ;  but  from  the 
beginning  it  was  not  so.  And  I  say  to  you,  that 
whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  except  it  be  for 
fornication,  and  shall  marry  another  committetb 
adultery:  and  he  that  shall  marry  her  that  is 
put  away  committeth  adultery.''  ^  Our  Savior  here 
emphatically  declares  that  the  nuptial  bond  is 
ratified  by  God  Himself,  and  hence  that  no  man, 
nor  any  legislation  framed  by  men,  can  validly 
dissolve  the  contract. 

To  the  Pharisees  interposing  this  objection,  if 
marriage  is  not  to  be  dissolved,  why  then  did 
Moses  command  to  give  a  divorce,  our  Lord  re- 
plies that  Moses  did  not  command,  but  simply 
permitted  the  separation,  and  that  in  tolerating 
this  indulgence  the  great  lawgiver  had  regard  to 
the  violent  passion  of  the  Jewish  people,  who 
would  fall  into  a  greater  excess  if  their  desire 
to  be  divorced  and  to  form  a  new  alliance  were 

»Matt.  xix.  3-9. 


412  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

refused.  But  our  Savior  reminded  them  tliat  in 
the  primitive  times  no  such  license  was  granted. 

He  then  plainly  affirms  that  such  a  privilege 
would  not  be  conceded  in  the  New  Dispensation, 
for  He  adds:  *'I  say  to  you:  whosoever  shall 
put  away  his  wife  and  shall  marry  another  com- 
mitteth  adultery."  Protestant  commentators  er- 
roneously assert  that  the  text  justifies  an  injured 
husband  in  separating  from  his  adulterous  wife 
and  in  marrying  again.  But  the  Catholic  Church 
explains  the  Gospel  in  the  sense  that,  while  the 
offended  consort  may  obtain  a  divorce  from  bed 
and  board  from  his  unfaithful  wife,  he  is  not  al- 
lowed a  divorce  a  vinculo  matrimonii,  so  as  to 
have  the  privilege  of  marrying  another. 

This  interpretation  is  confirmed  by  the  concur- 
rent testimony  of  the  Evangelists  Mark  and  Luke 
and  by  St.  Paul,  all  of  whom  prohibit  divorce  a 
vinculo  without  any  qualification  whatever. 

In  St.  Mark  we  read:  "Whosoever  shall  put 
away  his  wife  and  marry  another  committeth 
adultery  against  her.  And  if  the  wife  shall  put 
away  her  husband  and  be  married  to  another  she 
committeth  adultery. ' '  ^ 

The  same  unqualified  declaration  is  made  by 
St.  Luke :  * '  Every  one  that  putteth  away  his  wife 
and  marrieth  another  committeth  adultery;  and 
he  that  marrieth  her  that  is  put  away  from  her 
husband  committeth  adultery. ' '  ^  Both  of  these 
Evangelists  forbid  either  husband  or  wife  to  en- 
ter into  second  wedlock,  how  aggravating  soever 
may  be  the  cause  of  their  separation.  And  surely, 
if  the  case  of  adultery  authorized  the  aggrieved 
husband  to  marry  another  wife,  those  inspired 
penmen  would  not  have  failed  to  mention  that 
qualifying  circumstance. 

*  Mark  x.  11, 12.  » Luke  xvi.  18. 


MATEIMOXY  413 

Passing  from  tlie  Gospels  to  the  Epistle  of  St. 
Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  we  find  there  also  an 
absolute  prohibition  of  divorce.  The  Apostle 
is  writing  to  a  city  newly  converted  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion.  Among  other  topics  he  inculcates 
the  doctrine  of  the  Church  respecting  Matrimony. 
We  must  suppose  that  as  an  inspired  writer  and 
a  faithful  minister  of  the  Word  he  discharges  his 
duty  conscientiously,  without  suppressing  or  ex- 
tenuating one  iota  of  the  law.  He  addresses  the 
Corinthians  as  follows :  "To  them  that  are  mar- 
ried not  I,  but  the  Lord,  commandeth  that  the 
wife  depart  not  from  her  husband.  And  if  she 
depart  that  she  remain  unmarried,  or  be  recon- 
ciled to  her  husband.  And  let  not  the  husband 
put  away  his  wife."  ^  Here  we  find  the  Apostle, 
in  his  Master's  name,  commanding  the  separated 
couple  to  remain  unmarried,  without  any  refer- 
ence to  the  case  of  adultery.  If  so  important  an 
exception  existed,  St.  Paul  would  not  have  omit- 
ted to  mention  it;  otherwise  he  would  have  ren- 
dered the  Gospel  yoke  more  grievous  than  its 
Founder  intended. 

We  must,  therefore,  admit  that,  according  to 
the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  conjugal  infidelity 
does  not  warrant  either  party  to  marry  again, 
or  we  are  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  the  vast 
number  of  Christians  whose  knowledge  of  Chris- 
tianity was  derived  solely  from  the  teachings  of 
Saints  Mark,  Luke  and  Paul  were  imperfectly 
instructed  in  their  faith. 

Nor  can  we  suppose  that  St.  Matthew  gave  to 
the  married  Christians  of  Palestine  a  privilege 
which  St.  Paul  witlilield  from  the  Corinthians; 
for  then  the  early  Christian  Church  might  have 
witnessed  the  disedifying  spectacle  of  aggrieved 
»I.  Cor.  vii.  10,  U 


414  THE  fait;";  OF  OUR  FATHERS 

husbands  seeking  in  Judea  for  a  divorce  from 
their  adulterous  «^ives  which  they  conld  not  ob- 
tain in  Corinth;  just  as  discontented  spouses,  in 
our  times,  sue  in  a  neighboring  State  for  a  legal 
separation  Wdich  is  denied  them  in  their  own. 
Christ  is  net  divided,  nor  do  the  Apostles  con- 
tradict one  another. 

The  Catholic  Church,  following  the  light  of  the 
Gospel,  forbids  a  divorced  man  to  enter  into  sec- 
ond espousals  during  the  life  of  his  former  part- 
ner. This  is  the  inflexible  law  she  first  pro- 
claimed in  the  face  of  Pagan  Emperors  and  peo- 
ple and  which  she  has  ever  upheld,  in  spite  of 
the  passions  and  voluptuousness  of  her  own  re- 
bellious children. 

Henry  VIII.,  once  an  obedient  son  and  defender 
of  the  Church,  conceived  in  an  evil  hour,  a  crim- 
inal attachment  for  Anne  BolejTi,  a  lady  of  the 
queen's  household,  whom  he  desired  to  marry 
after  being  divorced  from  his  lawful  consort, 
Catherine  of  Arragon.  But  Pope  Clement  VII., 
whose  sanction  he  solicited,  sternly  refused  to 
ratify  the  separation,  though  the  Pontiff  could 
have  easily  forseen  that  his  determined  action 
would  involve  the  Church  in  persecution,  and  a 
whole  nation  in  the  unhappy  schism  of  its  ruler. 
Had  the  Pope  asquiesced  in  the  repudiation  of 
Catherine,  and  in  the  marriage  of  Anne  Boleyn, 
England  would,  indeed,  have  been  spared  to  the 
Church,  but  the  Church  herself  would  have  sur^ 
rendered  her  peerless  title  of  Mistress  of  Truth. 
When  Napoleon  I.  repudiated  his  devoted  wife, 
Josephine,  and  married  Marie  Louise,  of  Aus- 
tria, so  well  assured  was  he  of  the  fruitlessness 
of  his  attempt  to  obtain  from  the  Holy  See  the 
sanction  of  his  divorce  and  subsequent  marriafi;e 


MATRIMONY  415 

that  he  did  not  even  consult  the  Holy  Father  on 
the  subject. 

A  few  years  previously  Napoleon  appealed  to 
Pius  VII.  to  annul  the  marriage  which  his 
brother  Jerome  had  contracted  with  Miss  Pat- 
terson of  Baltimore.  The  Pope  sent  the  follow- 
ing reply  to  the  Emperor:  ''Your  majesty  will 
understand  (hat  upon  the  information  thus  far 
received  by  us  it  is  not  in  our  power  to  pro- 
nounce a  sentence  of  nullity.  We  cannot  utter  a 
judgment  in  opposition  to  the  rules  of  the  Church, 
and  we  could  not,  without  laying  aside  those  rules, 
decree  the  invalidity  of  a  union  which,  according 
to  the  Word  of  God,  no  human  power  can  sunder. ' ' 

Christian  wives  and  mothers,  what  gratitude 
you  owe  to  the  Catholic  Church  for  the  honorable 
jposition  you  now  hold  in  society!  If  you  are  no 
longer  regarded  as  the  slave,  but  the  equal  of 
your  husband ;  if  you  are  no  longer  the  toy  of  his 
caprice  and  liable  to  be  discarded  at  any  moment, 
like  the  women  of  Turkey  and  the  Mormon  wives 
of  Utah;  but  if  you  are  recognized  as  the  mis- 
tress and  queen  of  your  household,  you  owe  your 
emancipation  to  the  Church.  You  are  especially 
indebted  for  your  liberty  to  the  Popes  who  rose 
up  in  all  the  majesty  of  their  spiritual  power  to 
vindicate  the  rights  of  injured  wives  against  the 
lusti*il  tyranny  of  their  husbands. 

Bow  opposite  is  the  conduct  of  the  fathers  of 
the  so-called  Eeformation,  who,  with  the  cry  of 
religious  reform  on  their  lips,  deformed  religion 
a/*S  society  by  sanctioning  divorce. 

Henry  VIIT.  was  divorced  from  his  wife,  Oathe- 
?<iie,  by  Cranmer,  the  first  Eeformed  Primate  of 
'jilnglaJid. 

Luther  and  his  colleagues,  Melanchthori  and 
Bucer,  permitted  Philip,  Landgrave  of  Ilesse, 


416  THE  FAITH  OF  OUE  FATHERS 

to  have  two  wives  at  tlie  same  time.^  Karl- 
stadt,  another  German  Eeformer,  justified  polyg- 
amy.^ 

Modem  Prussia  is  now  reaping  the  bitter  fruits 
of  the  seeds  that  were  then  sown  within  its  bor- 
ders. Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  marriages 
now  contracted  outside  of  the  Catholic  Church 
in  Berlin  are  performed  without  any  religious 
ceremony  whatever.  A  union  not  bound  by  the 
strong  ties  of  religion  is  easily  dissolved. 

This  subject  excites  a  painful  interest  in  our 
own  country,  in  consequence  of  the  facility  with 
which  divorce  from  the  marriage  bond  is  obtained 
in  many  of  our  States.  We  have  here  another 
exemplification  of  the  dangerous  consequences  at- 
tending a  private  interpretation  of  the  sacred 
text.  When  Luther  and  Calvin  proclaimed  to 
the  world  that  "it  was  not  wise  to  prohibit  the 
divorced  adulterer  from  marrying  again, ' '  ^  they 
little  dreamed  of  the  fruitful  progeny  which  was 
destined  before  long  to  spring  from  this  isolated 
monster  of  their  creation.  There  are  already 
about  thirty  causes  which  allow  the  conjugal  tie 
to  be  broken,  some  of  which  are  of  so  trifling  a 
nature  as  to  provoke  merriment  were  it  not  for 
the  gravity  of  the  subject,  which  is  well  calculated 
to  excite  alarm  for  the  moral  and  social  welfare 
of  our  country. 

Persons  are  divorced  by  the  courts  not  only  for 
infidelity,  but  also  without  even  the  shadow  of 
Scripture  authority — for  alleged  cruelty,  intem- 

»Bossuet,  Variations,  Vol.  1.  ^'Audin,  p.  339. 

'American  Cyclop.,  art  Divorce,  Our  Savior  declares  that 
he  who  marrieth  an  adulteress  committeth  adultery.  Yet 
Luther  and  Calvin  declare  that  it  is  unwi«e  to  oppose  such  a 
marriage.  But  "the  foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than  men." 
And  Wisdom  has  said:  "I  will  destroy  the  wisdom  of  th9 
wise. '    (I.  Cor.  i.) 


MATRIMONY  417 

perance,  desertion,  prolonged  absence,  mental  in- 
capacity, sentence  to  the  penitentiary,  incompati- 
bility of  temper  and  such  other  causes  as  the 
court,  in  its  discretion,  may  deem  sufficient. 

For  the  year  ending  June,  1874,  seventeen  hun- 
dred and  forty-two  applications  for  divorce  were 
presented  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  If  such  is  Ohio's 
record,  what  must  be  the  matrimonial  condition 
of  Indiana,  which  is  called  the  paradise  of  dis- 
contented spouses. 

In  Connecticut  there  were,  in  1875,  four  thou- 
sand three  hundred  and  eighty-five  marriages,  and 
four  hundred  and  sixty-six  divorces  from  the  mar- 
riage bond.  The  number  of  divorces  obtained  in 
the  same  State  during  the  last  fifteen  years  has 
reached  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety- 
one.  This  is  the  record  of  a  State  whose  public 
school  system  is  considered  the  most  thorough 
and  perfect  in  the  country.  The  statistics  given 
of  Ohio  and  Connecticut  will  enable  us  to  form 
some  idea  of  the  fearful  catalogue  of  divorces 
annually  obtained  in  the  United  States. 

There  are  some  who  regard  the  Catholic  Churcn 
as  too  severe  in  proclaiming  the  absolute  indis- 
solubility of  marriage.  But  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  it  is  not  the  Church,  but  the  Divine 
Founder  of  the  Christian  religion,  that  has  given 
us  the  law.    She  merely  enforces  its  observance. 

The  law,  how  rigorous  soever,  is  mercy  itself, 
when  compared  with  the  cruel  consequences 
which  follow  from  the  easy  concession  of  divorce. 

The  facility  with  which  marriage  is  annulled 
is  most  injurious  to  the  morals  of  individuals,  of 
the  family  and  of  society.  It  leads  to  ill-assorted 
and  hasty  marriages,  because  persons  are  less  cir- 
cumspect in  making  a  compact  which  may  be  after- 
wards dissolved  almost  at  will.    It  stimulates  a 


418  THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATEEES 

discontented  and  unprincipled  husband  or  wife 
to  lawlessness,  quarrels  and  even  adultery,  well 
Imowing  that  the  very  crime  will  afford  a  pre- 
text and  legal  grounds  for  a  separa-tion.  It  en- 
genders between  husband  and  wife  fierce  litiga- 
tions about  the  custody  of  their  offspring.  It 
deprives  the  children  of  the  protecting  arm  of  a 
father,  or  of  the  gentle  care  of  a  mother,  and 
too  frequently  consigns  them  to  the  cold  charity 
of  the  world;  for  the  married  conple  who  are 
wanting  in  conjugal  love  for  one  another  are 
too  often  destitute  also  of  parental  affection.  In 
a  word,  it  brings  into  the  household  a  blight  and 
desolation  which  neither  wealth  ncr  luxury  can 
repair. 

There  is  but  one  remedy  to  this  nocial  distem- 
per, and  that  is  an  absolute  prohibition  of  di- 
vorce a  vinculo,  in  accordance  with  the  inflexible 
rule  of  the  Gospel  and  of  the  ancient  Church.  In 
Catholic  countries  divorces  are  exceedingly  rare, 
and  are  obtained  only  by  such  as  have  thrown, 
off  the  yoke  of  the  Church.  If  the  sacred  laws 
of  Matrimony  are  still  happily  observed  by  so 
large  a  portion  of  the  Protestant  community,  the 
purity  of  morals  is  in  no  small  measure  di/e  to 
the  presence  among  them  of  the  Catholic  religion, 
which  exercises  a  beneficial  influence  even  over 
those  who  are  outside  the  pale  of  her  cGinmunion, 
like  the  sun,  whose  benignant  light  and  heat  are 
felt  even  in  those  secluded  spots  which  Ms  rays 
can  but  obliquely  and  dimly  penetrate. 


INDEX 


ABRAHAM,  dear  to  Jehovah,  37. 

Abstinence  on  Friday  explained,  2. 

Adoration  and  reverence  com- 
parod,  202. 

A'Kempis  compared  with  Bun- 
yan,   20. 

A'Kempis'  "Following  of  Christ" 
recommended,  20 :  Protestant 
edition  mutilated,  20. 

Albertus  Magnus  on  Faith  quoted, 
15. 

American  Independence  and  Cath- 
olic Church,   240. 

Angcl  Raphael  and  young  Tobias, 
155. 

Angels  labor  for  man's  salvation, 
160. 

Anglican  Church  began  with  Hen- 
ry VIII,  43. 

Anne,  Queen,  praised  by  Thomas 
Arundel,  92. 

Apostolate  of  Sisterhoods — Conse- 
crated Virgins,   23. 

Appeals,  a  proof  of  Papal  Su- 
premacy, 109. 

Apostles  commissioned  to  teach, 
29 ;  transmit  infallibility  to 
successors,  65  ;  not  commanded 
to  write,  80  ;  ordered  to  teach 
and  to  preach,  81 ;  received 
power  to  forgive  sins,  342. 

Apostolic  teaching  was  infallible, 
65  ;  weapons,  26  :  missionaries 
sent  by  Popes,  115. 

Apostolicity  defined,  38  ;  a  note  of 
the  tra<>  Church,  39 ;  claims 
of  tested,  40,   et  seq. 

Articles  of  Faith — consequences  of 
denial  of,  10. 

Arian  heresy  and  the  Church,  53, 
et  seq. 

Arianism  and  Protestantism  par- 
alleled, 55,  et  seq. 

Astolphus,  King,  threatens  Rome, 
140. 

Attila  and  Pope  Leo  the  Great, 
139. 

Attributes  of  Christ — objects  of 
Church's  teaching,   16. 


Attributes  or  Notes  of  the  Church 
imply  infallibility,  65. 

Authority  of  the  Church  derived 
from  God,  65 ;  absence  of, 
causes  dissensions,  97  ;  author- 
ized versus  private  interpreta- 
tion, 81  ;  of  the  Book  of  Mach- 
abees,  214. 

B 

BARBARIANS  attack  Rome,  139. 

Bancroft's  History  cited,  233. 

Baptism  essential  for  remission  of 
original  sin,  268  ;  necessary  for 
all,  268 ;  must  not  be  delayed, 
273  ;  eflfects,  21  :  remits  all  sin, 
275 ;  makes  us  heirs  of  heaven, 
276. 

Baptism  of  desire  or  martyrdom 
substitutes  for  Baptism,  272. 

Baptizing,   modes  of,  277. 

Bartholomew,  Archbishop  of  Bra- 
ga,  directs  crusade,  27. 

Becanug  teaches  value  of  religious 
liberty,  230. 

Bede,  Venerable,  translated  Bible 
hito  Saxon,   91. 

Bible,  venerated  by  the  Jews,  77  ; 
requires  the  living  authority  of 
the  Church,  77  ;  interpreted  by 
the  Sanhedrim,  77 ;  expounded 
by  the  priests,  78 ;  a  babel 
among  reformers,  80 ;  itself  un- 
changing, it  causes  ever-chang- 
ing tenets,  87 ;  guardian  and 
depository  of.  Is  the  Catholic 
Church,  90 ;  translated  into 
Saxon  by  Venerable  Bede,  91 ; 
in  English,  Sir  Thomas  More 
on,  92 ;  editions  prior  to  Lu- 
ther, 92  ;  early  editions  in  Eng- 
lish, 92 ;  use  of,  recommended 
by  Pope  Plus  VI,  93  ;  in  semi- 
nary, 93,  et  seq. ;  basis  of  Pa- 
pal Infallibility,  125,  et  seq. ; 
infallible,  not  sufficient,  183,  et 
seq.  ;  not  ordered  to  be  multi- 
plied, 78. 

Biblical  Interpretation  on — Deu- 
teronomy, quoted,  78  ; — associa- 
tions never  converted  nation, 
80 ;  authorization  claimed  by 
Mormons,  88  ;  restrictions  aa  t« 
garbled  versions,  92. 


420 


INDEX 


Bishops,  priests  and  deacons 
among  Protestants,  10  ;  first — 
of  Rome,  was  St.  Peter,  106 ; 
of  Rome,  heirs  to  St.  Peter's 
supremacy,  108  ;  convoked  coun- 
cils, 114  ;  presided  at  councils, 
114. 

Bishop  Short  on  Anglicanism,  44. 

Bond  of  Union— Catholic,  com- 
pared to  that  of  secret  orders, 
36. 

Bond— Nuptial,  ratified  by  God, 
411. 

Books  of  Piety  adapted  to  wants, 
10  :  of  Machabees,  same  author- 
ity as  other  Scriptures,  214. 

Bride  or  Spouse  of  Christ,  applied 
to  the  Church,  8. 

Brownson.  Dr.,  appreciates  stand 
of  Church  on  civil  liberty,  231. 

Bunj'an  compared  with  A'Kempis, 
20. 

Butler's  "Lives  of  the  Saints" 
and  Foxe's  "Book  of  Martyrs" 
compared,  20. 

Byron,  Lord,  lauds  St.  Peter's 
Church  in  Rome,  381. 


CARANZA  BARTHOLOMEW  ar- 
rested by  tlie  Inquisition,  257. 

Carroll,  Charles,  in  American  In- 
dependence, 240. 

Carroll,  Rev.  John,  in  American 
Independence,  240. 

Catacombs  abound  in  sacred  im- 
ages, 196;  earliest  churches, 
137. 

Catechism,  Episcopal,  treats  of 
Absolution,  354,  et  seq. 

Catholic  bond  of  union  and  that  of 
the  secret  orders  compared,  36 ; 
barons  and  Archbishop  Langton, 
233 ;  idea  of  infallibility  rea- 
sonable and  satisfactory,  135  ; 
priest  obliged  to  read  Scrip- 
tures, 94 ;  priest  preaches 
Christ  and  Him  crucified,  18 ; 
literature  lavored  by  Episcopal 
clergyman,  20  ;  —  missionaries 
wherever  English  is  spoken,  35  ; 
churches  burned  by  Protestants, 
251. 
Catholics  number  three  hundred 
millions,  10 ;  exhorted  to  study 
the  Word  of  God  in  their 
homes.  19 ;  not  all  holy,  23 ; 
sometimes  are  sources  of  scan- 
dal. 23  ;  and  free  will,  23  ;  con- 


sciences not  forced,  23 ;  Wash- 
ington addresses,  241 ;  perse- 
cuted bv  Henry  VIII  and  Eliza- 
beth, 250,  by  the  Puritans,  251. 

Catholicity  —  prominent  attribute 
of  the  Church,  29 ;  evidences 
of,  in  Apostles'  Creed,  29 ;  de- 
fined, 29  ;  foreshadowed  by  the 
Psalmist,  29 ;  foreseen  by 
Prophet  Malachy,  29 ;  not 
found  in  the  separate  sects,  32. 

Ceremonial  of  the  Mass,  328,  et 

seq. 
Ceremonies — religious,  defined, 320 ; 
described,     327 ;    prescribed    bj 
God,  332;  necessary,  322. 

Christ's  life  portrayed,  17,  et 
seq. ;  teachings  versus  Book  of 
Homilies,  67,  et  seq ;  words 
and  private  interpretation,  79  ; 
divinity  not  proved  solely  by 
Scripture,  79,  et  seq. ;  honored 
virgins  in  a  special  manner, 
400;  instituted  matrimony,  409  ; 
contained  entire  under  each 
form,  300. 

Christian — a  title  of  nobility,  17; 
obligations  it  imposes,  17 ;  de- 
fined as  another  Christ,  17 ; 
communions  claim  perpetuity, 
51 ;  unity  endorsed,  119. 

Church  teaches  one  God,  1 :  unity 
of,  5 ;  government  requires 
unity,  6  ;  needs  visible  head,  6  ; 
a  kingdom,  6 ;  Christ  founded 
only  one,  6 ;  Christ's  spiritual 
kingdom,  7;  governm^^nt  com- 
pared to  that  of  state,  7;  of 
Christ,  a  sheepfold.  7 ;  likened 
to  the  sheepfold,  7  :  one  chief 
pastor,  one  chief  shepherd,  7 ; 
likened  to  human  body,  7 ;  com- 
pared to  a  vine,  8 :  bride  or 
spouse  of  Christ,  8 ;  imity  as 
taught  by  common  sense,  8 ; 
harmony,  8 ;  needs  common 
doctrine,  9 ;  uniform  govern- 
ment, 9  ;  of  England  ruled  by 
sovereign,  9 ;  alone  possesses 
unity,  10  ;  temple  of  faith.  10 : 
her  creed  identical  with  past 
ages,  11 ;  faith  and  government 
similar,  11  ;  does  not  meddle 
with  political  tenets.  10;  teaches 
one  faith  everywhere.  10;  ex- 
plains and  declares  truths  im- 
plicitly believed,  15  ;  authority 
to  decide  disputes.  15;  holi- 
ness an  attribute  of.  16  ;  a  so- 
ciety. 16 ;  established  for  man's 
sanctification,  16 ;  only  one 
founded  by  Christ,  fi;  inculcates 


INDEX 


421 


valuable  lessons  of  divine  per- 
fection, Hi ;  invites  to  a  holy 
life,  17 ;  enforces  the  inculca- 
tion of  divine  precepts,  18 ; 
affords  motives  and  means  of 
sanctiflcation,  20 ;  encourages 
communion  with  God,  20 ;  a  ' 
watchful  mother — supplies  us 
at  each  step,  21 ;  fruitful  in 
saints,  22 ;  still  produces  saints 
and  apostles,  22  ;  has  her  mar- 
tyrs in  our  day,  22 ;  still  num- 
bers confessors  in  her  ranks, 
22 ;  saves  sinners,  24 ;  refuge 
of  the  poor,  24  ;  her  inheritance 
— the  afflicted,  25 ;  possesses 
means  of  reform,  27  ;  cosmopol- 
itan. 30 ;  Catholic  in  name  and 
reality,  34  ;  gaining  numerically 
at  present,  35  ;  apostolical,  38  ; 
built  upon  foundation  of  the 
Apostles,  38  ;  derives  her  origin 
from  the  Apostles,  48 ;  inde- 
structible, 51 :  and  the  barbar- 
ous hordes,  53 ;  and  Mohamme- 
danism, 53 ;  and  the  Arian  her- 
esy, 53,  et  seq.  ;  and  the  Irish 
people,  54  ;  and  state,  57  ;  her 
relation  to  other  religious  bod- 
ies, 58 ;  does  not  need  temporal 
power  for  preservation,  58  ;  and 
modem  progress,  59;  benefited 
by  scientific  appliances  and  in- 
ventions, 59  ;  fosters  intellect- 
ual progress,  SO ,  encourages 
scientific  investigation,  60 ;  sci- 
ence indebted  to  her — has  no 
fear  from  human  liberty.  61  ; 
outlasts  all  other  governments, 
61,  et  seq. ;  authority  comes 
from  God,  05 ;  her  teaching  di- 
rected by  the  Holy  Ghost,  65 ; 
her  infallibility  proved  from 
Scripture,  66,   et  seq.  ;   Christ's 

Eromise  in  favor  of  the,  70,  73  ; 
er  doctrines  incapable  of  re- 
form, 73 ;  her  doctrinal  decrees 
irrevocable,  76 ;  divinely  ap- 
pointed teacher  of  revelation, 
76,  77 ;  guardian  and  deposi- 
torv  of  the  Bible,  90  ;  requires 
a  head,  97 ;  unity  maintained 
by  supreme  head,  77 ;  only  one 
founded  by  Christ.  100;  built 
on  Peter.  100 :  revealed  Word 
of  God  her  Magna  Charta,  124  ; 
exhorts  all  to  honor  Mary,  187  ; 
her  practice  proves  existence  of 
purgatory,  214.  et  seq. ;  Fathers 
of  the — unanimous  in  praying 
for  the  dead,  217 ;  has  always 
promoted  civil  liberty,  226 ; 
defends  civil  rights  and  liber- 
ties, 231  ;  conflict  with  state, 
231 ;    and    American    Independ- 


ence, 240 ;  desires  no  govern- 
mental aid,  246 ;  does  not  sanc- 
tion persecution  or  bloodshed, 
249 ;  disavows  the  excesses  of 
the  Spanish  Inquisition,  2.")8  ;  her 
practice  and  the  procediireof  the 
Supreme  Court  compared.  130  ; 
organization — American  system 
of,  240 ;  her  doctrine  on  un- 
baptized  infants,  273 ;  perpetu- 
ates Christ's  work.  341  ;  grants 
indulgences,  376. 

Churches — earliest  Christian  were 
Catacombs,  137  ;  fallible — con- 
sequences,  70. 

Oement  of  Alexandria  bears  wit- 
ness to  spread  of  Christianity, 
31. 

Clerical  celibacy — necessity,  399  ; 
propriety  and  advantages  of, 
402. 

Clement  VII,  Pope,  refused  to 
s.anctiou  divorce  of  Henry  VIII, 
414. 

Communion  with  God  encouraged 
by  Church,  20. 

Communion  under  both  forms 
given  by  Christ,  300. 

Communion  under  form  of  bread, 
303,   et  seq. 

Communion  of  Saints — a  comfort- 
mg  thought,  160. 

Confession  of  sins  obligatory,  345  ; 
various  views,  360  ;  sacr.imental, 
of  divine  institution,  346,  et  seq. 

Confirmation — graces  of,  21 ;  de- 
fined, 280 ;  signs  that  follow, 
282 ;  described  by  St.  Augus- 
tine, 282 ;  abolished  by  the 
Protestants,  285. 

Constantine  gives  peace  to  the 
Church,    137. 

Continence — voluntary,  superior  to 
matrimony,   399. 

Cross — held  in  reverence,  3 ;  In- 
strument of  the  crucifixion,  3  ; 
adorns  our  sanctuaries.  3  ;  sur- 
mounts our  Churches,  3 ;  em- 
blem of  salvation,  3. 

Cross — si.gn  of  the,  ancient  and 
pious  practice.  3 ;  how  made. 
3  ;  taught  by  tradition,  3  ;  pro- 
fession of  faith,  3 ;  salutary 
act  of  religion,  3. 

D 

D'ATJBIGNR  on  Protestant  Refor- 
mation, 264 — comments  *n  di- 
vorce of  Henry  VIII. 


422 


INDEX 


David  and  Nathan,  376. 

Deacons,  priests  and  bishops  in 
Protestant  sects,  10. 

Death  does  not  dissever  love 
among  friends,  161. 

Decrees  In  doctrinal  matters  irre- 
vocable, 77. 

De  Maistro  quoted  on  name  Prot- 
estant, 55. 

Deuteronomy  quoted  on  Biblical 
interpretation,  78. 

Devotion— true,  is  Interior,  320 ; 
manuals  of,  criticised,  366. 

Divine  perfections  sources  of 
valuable  lessons,  16. 

Divine  power  manifested  on  Eas- 
ter Sunday,  3. 

Divinity  of  Christ  not  proved 
solely  by   Scripture,   79,  et  seq. 

Divorce  never  allowed — separa- 
tion sometimes,  412. 

Divorce  prohibited  by  St.  Paul, 
413. 

Divorced  man  may  not  marry 
during  wife's  lifetime,  414. 

Divorce — legal,  causes,  416  ;  cruel 
consequences  of,  417. 

Doctrinal  decrees  of  the  Church 
are  irrevocable,  76. 

Doctrines  of  the  Church  cannot 
be  reformed.  73 ;  —  the  same 
everywhere,  10 ;  new  defini- 
tions do  net  impair  unity  of 
faith,  11,  et  seq. 

Dogma  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception  formulated,    171. 

D611inger,  Dr.,  anathematized,  10. 

Duties  to  God  —  first  lessons 
taught  us,  18. 


EASTERN  CHURCHES  allow  a 
married  clergy,  402. 

Ecumenical  councils  vindicate  pa- 
pal supremacy,  113 ;  defined, 
114. 

Elias  dear  to  Jehovah,  37. 

Elizabeth,  Queen,  and  Henry  VIII 
persecuted  Catholics,  250. 

Elizabethan  and  Marian  persecu- 
tions compared,  262,  et  seq. 

Episcopal  clerg\'man  favors  Cath- 
olic books,  20. 

Evangelical  Alliance  failed — had 
no  common  platform,  119. 


Exodus,  Book  of,  and  sacred  Im- 
ages, 200. 

Extreme  Unction  defined,  884 ; 
effects,  21  ;  supported  by  an- 
cient authority,   386. 


FAITH,  HOPE  AND  CHARITY 
necessary  for  Catholics,  37. 

Faith,  temple  of,  the  Church.  10 ; 
Albertus  Magnus  quoted,   15. 

Faith,  unity  of,  required,  5  ;  prog- 
ress in,  does  not  change  truth, 
15. 

Fathers  of  the  Church  on  Confir- 
mation, 283  ;  echo  the  words  of 
St.  Paul  on  the  Eucharist,  297 ; 
they  are  unanimous  on  praying 
for  the  dead,  217. 

Fenelon  favors  liberty  of  con- 
science, 228. 

Founders  of  various  religious  de- 
nominations, 46. 

Foxe's  Book  of  Martyrs  and  tho 
Lives  of  the  Saints  contrasted, 
20. 

Free-v.'ill — Catholics  enjoy,  23. 


GARBLED  VERSIONS  OF  THS 
BIBLE  restricted,  92. 

Gibbon  quoted  on  triumphs  of  tho 
Church,   53. 

God — infinite  in  knowledge,  power 
and  goodness,  1  ;  governs  by 
His  Providence,  1 ;  created  all 
things  by  His  Omnipotence,  1 ; 
three  persons  in  One,  1  ;  per- 
sons equal,  1. 

God  commands  the  making  of  im- 
ages, 301. 

God  requires  that  His  ministers 
be  respected,  388. 

God  works  through  his  represen- 
tatives, 341,  et  seq. 

God's  judgment  impressed  on  the 
child  mind,   19. 

Gospel  ministers  are  ordained  and 
commissioned,  39. 

Government — state  and  church 
compared,  7. 

Governmental  aid  not  desired  foe 
Church,  216. 

Grace  defined.  265  ;  necessary  tor 
sanctification,  265. 


INDEX 


483 


Graces  Imparted  by  Holy  Orders 
and  Matrimony,  21. 

Graces  needed  by  married  couple, 
special,  408. 

Great  Spirit  worshiped  by  Ameri- 
can Indians,  309. 

Gregory  II,  Pope,  writes  about 
images,  140. 


HABEAS  CORPUS,  223. 

Hail  Mary  explained,  174,  et  seq. 

Hamlet,  Shakespeare's,  advised  by 
tke  dead,  221. 

Hebrews  believed  in  intercessory 
prayer,  159. 

Henry  VIII  excommunicated,  10 ; 
divorce  refused,  43. 

Henry  VIII  and  Elizabeth  perse- 
cuted Catholics,   250. 

Heresy  and  schism  opposed  to 
unity,  5  ;  likened  to  murder  and 
Idolatry,  5 ;  heresy  defined,  5 : 
and  the  Church,  54 ;  a  crime 
against  church  and  state,  255. 

Holy  Eucharist — St.  Paul's  testi- 
mony on,  295. 

Holiness  a  mark  of  the  Church, 
16. 

Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell,  praises 
Mary,  179. 

Holy  Ghost  sent  by  Christ,  3 ; 
on  Pentecost,  3 ;  guides  the 
Church's  teaching,  65. 

Holy  Scripture  —  depository  of 
God's  Word,  77. 

Holy  Orders  and  Matrimony — 
graces  of,  21. 


IMAGE  —  MAKING  COMMAND- 
ED BY   GOD,  201. 

Images,  Sacred — advantages  of, 
204,  ct  seq. ;  and  the  Reform- 
ers, 198 ;  and  the  Council  of 
Trent,  198,  et  seq. ;  and  the 
Book  of  Exodus,  200 ;  venera- 
tion of,  196  ;  Catacombs  abound 
in,  196. 

Immaculate  Conception  implied  In 
Scripture,  171 ;  in  our  earliest 
history,  173  ;  dogma  formulated 
in   1854,   171. 

Indestructibility  of  the  Church 
due  to  finger  of  God  57. 

Infallible  Bible  uot  sufficient  133, 
et  seg. 


Infallibility  a  special  guidance  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  65 ;  implied  In 
the  attributes  of  the  Church, 
65 ;  of  Apostolic  teaching,  65  ; 
proved  from  Scripture,  66,  et 
seq. ;  transmitted  by  Apostles 
to  successors,  65  ;  blessings  at- 
tendant on — for  the  faithful, 
72  ;  Catholic  idea  of,  reasonable 
and  satisfactory,  135 ;  misap- 
prehended, 121 ;  what  It  does 
not  mean,  121,  et  seq.  ;  what  it 
is,  123 ;  founded  on  Bible,  125, 
et  seq. ;  not  a  new  doctrine, 
130. 

Incense,  its  use,  334. 

Indians,  American — worshiped  the 
Great  Spirit,  309. 

Indulgence  defined,  375 ;  granted 
by  the  Church,  378 ;  elements 
required,  377 ;  classes,  378 ; 
does  not  exempt  from  doing 
penance,  379 ;  abused,  380. 

Infant  Baptism  proved  from  early 
Doctors,  270 ;  and  the  Council 
of  Carthage,  270 ;  not  to  be  de- 
layed, 273. 

Inquisition,  Spanish  —  cruelties, 
248 ;  its  true  character,  254 ; 
explained,  254 ;  excesses  dis- 
avowed by   the  Church,  258. 

Inventions  and  scientific  appli- 
ances beneficial  to  Church,  59. 

Invocation  of  the  Saints  defined, 
152. 

Ireland  and  the  Ancient  Church, 
54. 

Irish  clergy  persecuted  by  Crom- 
well, 250. 


JEREMIAH,  after  death,  prass 
for  Jewish  people,   159. 

Jesus  Christ,  second  person  of 
Blessed  Trinity,  1 ;  perfect  God 
and  perfect  man,  1 ;  assumes 
human  nature,  1 ;  bom  on 
Christmas  Day,  1 ;  led  a  life  of 
obscui'ity  at  Nazareth,  1 ;  com- 
mences public  career,  1 ;  asso- 
ciates with  his  Apostles,  2 ;  do- 
ing good,  2  ;  preaches  new  gos- 
pel, 2 ;  crucified  on  Mount  Cal- 
vary, 2 ;  purchases  our  redemp- 
tion, 2 ;  is  our  Saviour  and  Re- 
deemer, 2 ;  example  to  be  imi- 
tated, 2 ;  manifested  Divine 
power  on  Easter  Simday,  3; 
raised  Himself  to  life,  3;  as- 
cendf^l  into  heaven,  3 ;  spends 
forty   days  on   eai'th,   3 ;   sends 


424 


INDEX 


Holy  Ghost,  3 ;  requires  unity 
of  faith,  5  ;  prays  for  unity,  5  ; 
mission  evidenced  in  unity  of 
Church,  5 ;  speaks  of  ""  His 
Church,  not  churches,  6 ;  our 
model,  17 ;  wrote  no  line  of 
Scripture,  80;  established  su- 
preme head  of  the  Church,  98, 
et  seq. ;  founded  but  one 
Church,  100 ;  the  one  Media- 
tor, 161 ;  came  on  earth  to 
wash  away  sins,  268  ;  our  Vic- 
tim in  the  Mass,  317 ;  a  Phy- 
sician and  Savior,  340. 
Jesus'  prayer  is  always  heard, 
126  ;  name  implies  His  mission, 
339  ;  example  a  means  of  sanc- 
tiflcation,  16 ;  moral  lessons 
tend  to  sanctiflcation,  16. 
Jews  ordered  by  Christ  to  obey 
constituted  teachers,  79 ;  pray 
for  their  dead,  220;  venerate 
the  Bible,  77 ;  were  released 
from  religious  persecution  by 
St.  Bernard,  228 ;  appealed  to 
the  Sanhedrim  for  the  settle- 
ment of  disputes,  77 ;  their 
priests  expounded  Bible,  78 ; 
their  High  Priest  and  the  Ro- 
man Pontiff  compared,  95. 
Job  intercedes  for  his  friends. 
157. 

John,  Abbot  of  Constantinople, 
appeals  to  Pope  Gregory  I,  112. 

Judea  a  hallowed  soil,  164. 

Jurisdiction  of  God's  ministers 
unlimited,  388. 

L 

LAITY  contain  many   Saints,  23. 

Langton,  Archbishop,  and  Catho- 
lic barons,  233. 

Leibnitz  taught  that  Christ  is  en- 
tire under  each  species,  302. 

Leo  the  Great,  Pope,  and  Attila, 
139. 

Leo  the  Isaurian  desires  spiritual 
jurisdiction,  139 ;  destroys 
paintings,  140 ;  wars  on  im- 
ages,  197. 

LepantO' — victory   of    1571,    53. 

Liberty,  religious,  explained,  226  ; 
ever  promoted  by  the  Catholic 
Church,  226  ;  taught  by  Becan- 
us,  230;  favored  by  Fenelon, 
228 ;  and  civil  rights  defended 
by  the  Church,  231 ;  human  not 
feared,  61. 

^^lot^     °"    t^6    altar — meaning, 


Literature,  Catholic,  favored  by 
Episcopal  clergyman,  20. 

Lilorente,  historian  of  Spanish 
Inquisition,  253 ;  who  he  was, 
253,  et  seq. 

Longfellow  refers  to  Mary's  influ- 
ence and  intercession,  189. 

Loyalty  to  Christ  implies  venera- 
tion of  His  representative,  106. 

Luther  advocated  Commimion  un- 
der one  form,  301  ;  accused 
John  Tetzel,  382. 

Lutheranism  founded  by  Luther, 
43 ;  rise  and  progress  of,  54. 

M 

MAGNA  CHARTA— great  bulwark 
of  liberty,  233. 

Magna  Charta,  the  Church's — the 

revealed  Word  of  God,  124. 
Marriage  law  violated  by  Henry 
VIII,  10;  indissoluble,  410; 
contract — most  inviolable  and 
Irrevocable,  410;  forbidden  to 
priests  after  ordination,  400. 
Married  couple  need  special 
graces,  408. 

Mary  singularly  honored  by  Jesus 
Christ,  165  ;  Mother  of  God — 
meaning,  166 ;  not  mother  of 
divinity — Mother  of  God,  167 ; 
truly  and  really  Mother  of  God, 
167  ;  of  surpassing  dignity  and 
excellence,  168 ;  always  a  vir- 
gin, 168 ;  loves  men,  190 ;  ex- 
empted from  original  sin,  267. 

Mary's  soul  never  subject  to  sin, 
171  ;  her  soul  needed  a  redeem- 
er, 171  ;  prerogatives,  174 ; 
honor  redounds  to  God.  181 ; 
honor  founded  on  Scriptural 
sanction,  186 ;  honor  encour- 
aged by  the  Church,  187  ;  inter- 
cession superior  to  that  of  the 
Angels  and  the  Saints,  188  ;  in- 
fluence and  intercession  referred 
te  by  Longfelow,  189-193 ;  in- 
voked by  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  191. 

Mary  Magdalen  experienced  the 
mercy  of  Jesus,  340. 

Maryland — cradle  of  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty,  233  ;  land  of  the 
Sanctuary,  233 ;  religious  tol- 
eration explained,  234,  et  seq. ; 
changes  effected  bv  Puritans, 
237  ;  tolerations — three,  238.  et 
seq. 

Mass  is  identical  with  the  Sacri- 
fice  of   the   Cross.   311;   insti- 


INDEX 


425 


tuted,  312;  a  perpetual  obla- 
tion, 313,  et  seq. ;  of  Apostolic 
origin,  314  ;  Its  ceremonial,  328, 
et  seq. ;  why  said  In  Latin,  329, 
et  seq. 

Matrimony  defined,  408 ;  insti- 
tuted by  Christ,  409 ;  imparts 
ample  and  suitable  graces,  21. 

Missionaries,  Catholic,  wherever 
English  is  spoken,  35 ;  Apos- 
tolic— sent  by  Popes,  115. 

Mohammedanism,  rise  and  con- 
quests, 53 ;  and  the  Church,  53. 

Monica,  St.,  requests  prayers  for 
the  repose  of  her  soul,  216. 

Moralitj  of  Catholic  and  Protestant 
countries  contrasted,  309 ;  lax 
among  Catholics — accusation  an- 
swered, 364 ;  Christ's  lessons 
tend  to  sanctification,  16 ;  in- 
culcated by  the  Church,  18 ; 
moral  law  standard  of  perfec- 
tion, 18. 

More,  Sir  Thomas,  quoted  on 
Bible  in  English,  92. 

Mormons  claim  Biblical  authoriza- 
tion for  polygamy,  88. 

Mormonlsm  at  variance  with  Gos- 
pel, 410. 

Mysteries,  principal,  incentive  to 
"holiness,  17 ;  proposed  by  the 
Church,  17 ;  surround  us  every- 
where,  293. 

N 

NAAMAN    THE    SYRIAN    cured, 

361. 
Napoleon's  demands  on  Pope  Pius 

VII,  242,  et  seq. 
Nathan  and  David,  876. 
Nuptial  bond  ratified  bj  God,  411. 

O 

ONIAS,  after  death,  prays  for  the 
people  of  God,  159. 

Oracles,  rashness  of  following  dis- 
cordant, 72. 

Origen  bears  witness  to  the  spread 
of  Christianity,   31. 

Original  sin,  all  men  bom  in, 
267 ;  Blessed  Virgin  alone  ex- 
empted, 267 ;   universal,  272. 


PAGANS  RETAINED  primitive 
traditions  about  sacrifices,   309. 

Papal  jurisdiction — examples,  100, 
et   seq. 


Papal  states  a  convenience  for 
the  Holy  Father,  145. 

Paul,  St.  on  heresy  and  schism, 
5,  et  seq. ;  asks  intercession, 
158. 

Penance — effects  of  Sacrament,  21. 
Pentecost  —  Christ     sends     Hol^ 

Ghost,  3. 
Perpetuity    of    the    Church,    5ft; 
defined,     50 ;     foretold    in     the 
Scriptures,  50. 
Persecutions  lasted  280  years,  52. 
Persecution    and     bloodshed    not 
sanctioned  by  the  Church,  249. 
Persecutions    by    Queen    Mary  of 
England,    261 ;    compared    with 
those   under  Elizabeth,    262,   et 
seq. 
Pepin,    King   of    the    Franks,    de- 
feats  Lombards,    141. 
Peter,  St.,  primacy  of,  95  :  founda- 
tion of  the  Church,    100 ;   first 
Bishop   of  Rome,    106  ;   suprem- 
acy    handed    down,    108 ;     and 
Washington      compared,       108 ; 
oracle  of  the  Apostles,   126,  et 
seq. 
Photius  appeals  to  Pope  Nicholas 
I  to  confirm  his  election  to  the 
Patriarchate  of  Constantinople, 
112. 
Plebescitum,     Roman,     explained, 

146. 
Plutarch    declares :     "No    nations 
without  priests  and  altars,  "309. 
Poe,  Edgar  Allan,   invokes  Mary, 

191. 
Pontiff,    Supreme,    is    commander- 

in-chief  of  the  Church,  117. 
Pope  is  Vicar  of  Christ,  129  -, 
father  and  doctor  of  Chris- 
tians, chief  pastor  of  the 
Church,  130 ;  confirms  or  re- 
jects decrees  of  councils,  131 ; 
a  prisoner  in  his  own  house, 
145. 
Popes  succeed  to  Peter's  suprem- 
acy, 108 ;  send  Apostolic  mis- 
sionaries, 115 ;  go  to  confes- 
sion regularly,  122  ;  oracles  f 
the  early  Church,  128,  et  seq., 
recognized  in  all  ages  as  infal- 
lible teachers,  132. 
Prayer  for  unity,  5 ;  and  Sacra- 
ments— means  of  sanctification, 
20 ;  a  duty  binding  in  con- 
science 20 ;  of  .Jesus  Christ, 
always  heard  126;  for  the 
dead,   consoling,  225. 


426 


INDEX 


Priest,  Catholic  obliged  to  read 
word  of  Gbd,  94 ;  ambassador 
of  God,  387  ;  dispenser  of  God's 
graces,  390 :  titles,  391 ;  physi- 
cian of  souls,  396 ;  must  be 
man  of  praj-er,   398. 

Priestly  obligations,  395 ;  stands 
before  God,  intercessor  for  his 
people,  396 ;  experience  in 
sacred   ministry,   367   et  seq. 

Primacy  of  St.  Peter,  93 ;  pro- 
mised, 98  et  seq.  ;  and  suprema- 
cy similarly  demonstrated,  109. 

Progress,  Modem,  and  the  Church, 
59 ;  intellectual  fostered  by  the 
Church,  60 ;  cannot  destroy  the 
Church,  59. 

Prophecies  of  Christ  fulfilled  by 
spread   of    Christianity,   30. 

Protestant  .sects  make  no  claim 
to  Catholicity,  ,32 ;  Episcopa- 
lians sometimes  usurp  the  title 
of  Catholic,  33 ;  inconsistency 
between  teaching  and  practice, 
82  et  seq. 

Protestantism  not  traceable  to 
Apostolic  times,  47 ;  and  Ari- 
anism  paralleled,   55,   et  seq. 

Protestants  differ  in  belief  among 
themselves,  9  ;  sects  do  not  pos- 
sess unity,  9 ;  combat  the  per- 
petual virginity  of  Mary,  169, 
et  seq. ;  their  objections  an- 
swered, 169,  et  seq.  ;  burned 
Catholic  churches,  251 ;  abol- 
ished confirmation,  285. 

Puritans  effected  changes  in  Mary- 
land, 237  ;  persecuted  others  for 
conscience's  sake,  251. 


B 


RANKE  QUOTED  on  Spanish  In- 
quisition,   256. 

Raphael  Archangel  and  young  To- 
bias, 155. 

Real  presence  founded  on  scrip- 
ture, 288 ;  proved  from  the 
New  Testament,  288,  et  seq. 

Reformation  of  morals  effected, 
26. 

Reformers  made  a  babel  of  the 
Bible,  86 ;  and  sacred  images, 
198  ;  guilty  of  violence  towards 
others,   250. 

Regeneration,  neccessary  to  all, 
272. 

Religious  denominations  and  their 
founders,   46. 


Repentance — Catholic  and  Pro- 
testant systems  contrasted,  362. 

Revelation — church  divinely  ap- 
pointed  teacher  of,  76. 

Reverence  for  the  Cross,  3 ;  and 
adoration    compared,    202. 

Riles  and  ceremonies  prescribed 
by   God,   322. 

Ritual  described  In  Revelation, 
324. 

Rodriguez,  "Christian  Perfection" 

recommended,  20. 
Roman   Pontiff  and   Jewish    High 

Priest,    compared,    95. 
Roman      Plebescitum      explained, 

146. 

Rome,  St.  Peter,  first  Bishop  of, 
106. 

Rome,  St.  Peter's  residence  in, 
proved,  107 ;  testified  by  emi- 
nent  writers,    107. 


S 


SACRAMENTAL  CONFESSION 
of    divine    institution,    346,    et 

seq. 

Sacraments  and  prayers  are 
means  of  grace,  265 ;  defined, 
265  ;  constituent  elements,  265  ; 
seven,  instituted  by  Christ 
266. 

Sacred  images — advantages,  204, 
et  seq.  ;  and  the  Reformers,  198  ; 
and  the  council  of  Trent,  198, 
et  seq. 

Sacrifices,  defined,  307;  offered 
by  all  peoples,  307  ;  early,  307, 
et  seq ;  various,  in  Old  Law, 
317. 

St.  Alphonsus,  a  distinguished 
reformer,  27. 

St.  Ambrose  describes  Mary's  life, 
194 ;  confronts  the  Emperor 
Thedosius,  the  Great,  232 ;  on 
the  sevenfold  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,    284. 

St.  Athanasius  appeals  to  Pope 
•Julius  I  agams"t  a  Decree  of 
the  Eastern  Bishops,  111. 

St.  Augustine  quoted  about  truth, 
12 ;  on  false  claims  to  Catho- 
licity, 33 ;  on  Apostolicity,  49, 
56 ;  describes  confirmation, 
282  ;  on  Chrism  ointment,  285  ; 
on  secret  confession,  360. 

St.  Basil  of  Cseserea  has  recoarse 
to  Pope  Damasus,   111. 


'INDES 


'427 


St.  Bartholomew's  t»ay — massacre, 
259 ;  church  not  interested  In, 
259  ;   facts   stated,   259,   et   seq. 

St.  Bernard  released  .Tews  from 
religiouji  persecution,  22S. 

St.  Charles  Borromeo,  the  reform- 
er, 27. 

St.  Cyril  appeals  to  Pope  Celes- 
tme,  111. 

St.  Francis  de  Sales'  writings 
recommended,  20. 

St.  Hilary  of  Aries  and  papal 
supremacy,   111. 

St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  conspicuous 
reformer,  27. 

St.  IrenjeiK  bears  witness  to  the 
spread  of  Christianity,  31. 

St.  Jerome's  edition  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, 91 ;  edits  the  vulgate,  91. 

St.  John  Chrysostom  appeals  to 
Pope  Innocent  I,  111. 

St.  Justin,  martyr,  witness  of 
Catholicity  in  second  century, 
31. 

&t.  Paul  Invokes  intercession  of 
the  Bphesians,  158 ;  testimony 
on  the  Holy  Eucharist,  295  ; 
granted  indulgences,  376 ;  pro- 
hibited divorce,  413. 

St.  Peter's  primacy,  95 ;  first 
bishop  of  Rome,  106  ;  residence 
in  Rome  proved,  107 ;  suprem- 
acy handed  down,  lOS ;  Oracle 
of  the  Apostles,  126,  et  seq. 

St.  Philip  Neri,  apostle  of  modern 
Rome,  27. 

St.  Vincent  of  Lerins  on  doctrine 
and  practice,  15. 

Saints — many  among  laity,  23. 

Sanctity— examples  witnessed,  23. 

Sanhedrim  settled  disputes  for 
the  Jews,  77 ;  explained  Bible, 
77. 

Scandals  do  not  invalidate 
Church's  claims  to  sanctify, 
26. 

Schism  and  heresy  oppose  unity, 
5  ;  schism  defined,  5. 

Schismatic  Churches  have  no 
claims    to   Catholicity,    32. 

Scripture.  Holy,  depository  of, 
God's  Word,  77 ;  no  line  of, 
written  by  Christ,  80;  does 
not  contain  all  truth,  89  ;  alone, 
not  sufficient  guide  and  rule  of 
faith,  89 ;  perpetuated  by  the 
Church,  91,  et  seq.  ;  St.  Jerome 
translates,  91. 


Sects — conflicting  in  K^cth  Caro- 
lina, 9  ;  Protestant  do  not  pos- 
sess unity,  9. 

Sign  of  the  Cross — ancient  and 
pious  practice,  3 ;  how  made,  3 ; 
Tertullian  quoted  on,  3  ;  taught 
by  tradition,  3 ;  profession  of 
faith,  3 ;  salutary  act  of  re- 
ligion,  3. 

Signs  following  confirmation,  17. 

Sin  includes  guilt  and  punish- 
ment, 375  :  original— all  men 
bom  in,  267 ;  Most  Blessed 
Virgin  alone  excepted,  267. 

Smithfield  and  Tyburn  compared, 
264. 

Socrates  quoted  on  papal  suprem- 
acy,  111. 

Solomon  and  Judas  as  warnings, 
19. 

Spain — condition  of,  during  the  In- 
quisition, 255. 

Spanish  Inquisition  —  crnelties, 
248  ;  Llorente,  historian,  253  ; 
excesses  disavowed  by  tho 
Church,  258. 

"Spiritual  Combat"  recommended, 
20. 

Supremacy  of  St.  Peter — Popes 
succeed  to,  108  ;  Socrates  quot- 
ed on.  111  ;  and  Primacy  simi- 
larly demonstrated,  109. 

Supreme  Court  procedure  and 
Church  practice  compared,  130. 

Supreme  Head  of  the  Chvirch 
maintains  unity,  98;  established 
by  Christ,  98 ;  Is  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  Church,  117. 


TEACHERS  —  constituted,  to  be 

obeyed,  79. 
Teaching    of   Christ   versus   Book 

of   Homilies,   67,   et   seq. 
Teaching  of  Apostles  infallible,  65. 
Teaching  of  the  Church  guided  by 

the  Holy  Ghost,  65. 
Temporal    power — end    and    aim, 

144  ;  not  necessary  to  Church's 

preservation,  58. 
Tennyson's     Sir     Belvidere     asks 

prayers  for  his  soul,  225. 
Testament,   Old  —  teaches  exist- 
ence of  Purgatory,  211,  et  seq. 
Testimonv    of    St.    Paul    on    the 

Holy  Eucharist,  295. 


428 


INDEX 


Tertullian  bears  witness  to  the 
spread  of  Christianltj,  31  ; 
treats  of  the  Apostolicity  of  the 
Church,  49. 

Tetzel,  John,  accused  by  Luther, 
382. 

Theodoret  appeals  to  St.  Leo, 
Pope,  112. 

Theodosius  the  Great  confronted 
by  St.  Ambrose,  232. 

Thomas  Arundel  praised  Queen 
Anne,  02. 

Titles  of  the  Catholic  priest,  391. 

Tobias,  Younp,  and  the  Archangel 
Raphael,  155. 

Toleration,  Religious,  in  Mary- 
land, 234,  et  seq. 

Transubstantiation  a  mystery,  292. 

Triumphs  of  the  Church  accord- 
ing to  Gibbon,  53. 

Trent,  Council  of — great  reforma- 
tory tribunal,  27 ;  on  sacred  im- 
ages, 198,  et  seq.  ;  asserts  doc- 
trine of  Purgatory,   210. 

Truth  unchangeable,  12. 

Tyburn  and  Smithfieid  compared, 
264. 

Tyndall  on  debt  of  science  to  the 
Church,  60. 


U 


UNITY  OP  THE  CHURCH,  5; 
heresy  and  schism  opposed  to, 
5  ;  required  by  Jesus  Christ,  5  ; 
of  faith  required, 5  ;  Jesus  Christ 
prays  for  it,  5  ;  prayer  of  Christ 
for,  5  ;  an  evidence  of  Christ's 
mission, 5  ;  in  government  it  is  es- 
sential, 6;  not  found  in  Protest- 
ant sects,  9  ;  found  in  Catholic 
Church  alone,  10 ;  Catholic,  in 
what  it  consists,  10 ;  of  gov- 
ernment and  faith,  11  ;  safe- 
guard of  government,  11  ;  of 
faith  not  impaired  by  new  doc- 
trinal definitions,  11;  of  the 
Church  maintained  by  supreme 
head,  98 ;  Christian,  endorsed, 
119 ;  implies  recognition  of 
pope's  headsliip,  119. 


Unbaptized    Infanta    —    Church'a 
teaching  regarding,  273. 


VALIDITY  OP  THE  POPE'S 
TITLE  to  the  papal  states,  141. 

Variation  in  Biblical  interpreta- 
tion, 87. 

Vatican  Council  assembled  from 
all  nations,  332 ;  Ecumenical, 
34;  all  countries  represented, 
34  ;  all  systems  represented,  34. 

Veneration  of  images,  196. 

Vestments — their  meaning,  335  ; 
their  colors  symbolical,  337. 

Vicar  of  Christ  is  the  Pope,   129. 

Victim  in  the  Mass  is  Jesus 
Christ,   317. 

Victor     Emmanuel,     the     modern 

Achab,  144. 
Virgins,     Consecrated — Apostolate 

of  Sisterhoods,  23. 
Virgins     especially     honored     by 

Christ,  400. 
Virginity,      Perpetual — of     Marv, 

combated   by    Protestants,    109, 

et  seq. 

Voltaire  bears  testimony  to  the 
good  use  of  Church  temporali- 
ties,  138. 

Vulgate — edited  by  St.  Jerome,  91. 

W 

WARFARE  ON  CHURCH— for- 
eign and  domestic,  51. 

Washington  and  St.  Peter  com- 
pared, 108. 

Washington's  Address  to  the 
Catholics,  241. 

Wesley,  John,  founds  Methodist 
Church,   44. 

Westminster     Abbey     has     many 

statues  of  heroes,  201. 
Wordsworth    on    "Mother's    Love 

and  Maiden  Purity,"  168,  180 ; 

tribute  to  Mary,  175. 


Cardinal  Gibbons'  ^Zl"' 

.  A  Retrospect  of  Fifty  Years 

J  Of  Historical  and  Timely  Interest 

America : 
No  part  of  this  work  is  more  interesting  than  the  Cardinal's 
account  of  the  Vatican  Council.  He  himself  was  the 
youngest  bishop  there,  and  wrote  to  the  Catholic  World 
from  Rome  a  series  of  papers  vividly  describing  the  lead- 
ing prelates  who  were  present,  the  method  of  procedure 
and  the  important  sessions  of  the  Council,  The  friends  of 
labor  will  read  with  special  interest  the  chapter  that  tells 
how  the  author  made  the  true  character  of  the  Knights  of 
Labor  understood  at  Rome  and  so  prevented  their  con- 
demnation as  a  secret  society.  Benighted  folk  who  still 
believe  that  the  Catholic  Church  is  a  menace  to  American 
institutions  should  read  carefully  the  patriotic  articles 
that  complete  the  first  volume  of  the  Cardinal's  work. 

Messenger  of  Sacred  Heart : 

Wliat  a  wonderful  collection  we  have  in  these  two  volumes 
of  essays,  addresses  and  sermons  by  the  venerable 
Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Baltimore !  The  first  part  of  the 
work  contains  His  Eminence'3  reminiscenses  of  the  Vati- 
can Council.  He  was  the  youngest  bishop  at  the  Coun- 
cil, and  is  the  sole  survivor  of  the  prelates  who  attended 
its  sessions.  His  memorial  that  saved  the  Knights  of 
Labor  from  condemnation  at  Rome  and  his  defence  of 
the  Patriotism  of  Catholics  are  still  of  great  interest. 
Sermons  and  addresses  delivered  on  noteworthy  occasions 
in  the  history  of  the  United  States  are  given  in  the  second 
volume.  Cardinal  Gibbons  has  done  more  than  any 
single  man  in  America  to  dissipate  prejudices  against  the 
Catholic  Church.  This  retrospect  of  fifty  years — since 
he  was  consecrated  in  1863— ought  to  be  read  by  every 
Catholic. 

2  Vols.    12mo.    Cloth    -     Price  $2.00  Net 

John  Murphy  Co.  -  Publishers 

►■<ww<wg>-w»'^iBM'-«w»<«»<ai9?qag»'<cBi-Mi"W'<.iiifciii  iw  —  ■■■   n  ■  « 


NO  LIBRARY  COMPLETE  WITHOUT  THEM 

Cardinal  Gibbons^ 

COMPLETE  WORKS 

"The  Faith  of  Our  Fathers" 

"Our  Christian  Hsritage" 

"The  Amhassadsr  of  Christ" 

^'GiscGurses  and  Sersnsns  on  Varlcys  Siiiijects" 

"A  Ratrospeot  of  Fitly  Years"    2  Vc!«m&s 


This  is  an  opportunity  extraordinary  to  secure 
the  six  famous  books  by  His  Eminence  for  Five 
Dollars  and  Fifty  Cents.  They  are  uniformly 
bound  in  Cloth,  and  make  a  noticeably  hand- 
some collection. 

6  Volumes,  Uniformly  Bound 

Per  Set.  Net 

Fine  Cloth  Binding         .  .  .  .  3  7.50 

Half  Morocco,  Uncut  Edges,  Gilt  Top  .  21.00 

Cardinal  Red,  Morocco,  Solid  Gold  Edges    .  30.00 


John  Murphy  Co.  publishers 


DUE  DATE 

JUN  01 

1998 

->^f|^ 

201-6503 

Printed 
in  USA 

COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


0021061378 


